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Patrycja Gabrel
soprano

Laura Silva Mendes
organ

Orquestra Clássica da Madeira

Norberto Gomes
direction

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FIRST VIOLINS 

Norberto Gomes
concertmaster

Olena Soldatkina
ass. concertmaster

Valeriy Perzhan, Marcelo Caldeira 

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SECOND VIOLINS

Yuriy Kyrychenko
section leader

Natacha Guimarães, Andrei Vizir, Anahit Dalakyan

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VIOLAS

Volodymyr Petryakov
section leader

Rostyslav Kuts, Francisco Caldeira 

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CELLOS

Marina Gyumishyan
section leader

Iryna Bandura 

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DOUBLE BASS

Gábor Bolba
section leader

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OCT 24^th
9:30 p.m.
Funchal, Sé

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Programme:

João Santos (1979)
¬ I – Revelation
(First discovery: the tragic love story of Robert Machim and Ana de Harfet)

Intensely, the garden of the rich Orient
Beamed with its pale violet hue,
The sight of Aurora emerging resplendent
And the rose of the sky breaking anew,
Machim and Ana, his love correspondent,
Set out for new land, with his people too,
For in such beauty, at that golden hour,
She wished to equal bright Aurora's power

By the streams, birds of a thousand colours,
The wind that blows upon them, soft and light,
From their own untamed, flattering flowers,
Where a city takes shape within their sight,
They set out swiftly from their wild bower,
To welcome the Angles, songs of delight.
They are the local sirens, singing clear,
While the stream responds, ripples drawing near.

Here Machim, with Ana, in sweet delight,
Forgot the sea’s warfare caused so much pain,
Letting their love live by day and by night,
On beaches, streams, valleys, mountain and plain;
Partners, with keen memory, came in sight,
From land to ship, from ship to land again;
They came and went with joy, and heightened there
The joys the two enjoyed, beyond compare.

“Alas,” she said, “sweet love, my soul’s delight,
Whom you have left in darkness, cold and deep,
Sun, in whose lofty light I found my might,
Whose power gave me life and made it leap,
North, which for very long has been my guide,
Led my loving eyes wherever they roam,
How, if from it you now are free and far,
you leave me now in longing where you are?"

João Caldeira (1986)
¬ II – Dream
(Official discovery: the Island speaks to Captain Zarco in his dreams)

A lovely face revealed itself in grace,
She drew back the veil, and in doing so,
Displaying beauty no paint could replace,
Nor could her natural form improve the show;
Only Iris could outshine such a face,
But wishing to know Zargo better so,
She happily approached his bedside there,
And spoke to him with joy beyond compare:

Renowned Captain, of a lineage great,
Born of noble and illustrious name,
The Almighty Author chose to create,
To spread the glorious Faith and its fame,
Whose banner, blessed by Fortune, shall await,
Raised by a mighty hand of strength and flame,
Proudly shall it fly for everyone’s eyes,
From Northen Bear to Cancer’s burning skies.

I am the famous isle, which you shall seek,
As you carve your path across open sea,
Seeking the fame that makes the mighty speak,
For great glory awaits through you and me;
Your fame shall echo through the ages’ peak,
From Tagus to the Indus, wild and free;
Guided by heavens, beneath stars so bright,
You’ll give me a new name and lasting light.

For this, the place where now with joy I tread,
Once earth was fashioned by the hand divine,
Was made a second Paradise instead,
Reserved with glory, Captain, to be thine;
Through you, with wisdom and with foresight led,
Its happiness shall through the world now shine,
So all may know, when they would honour thee,
Here you raised the banner of Faith for me.

Sérgio Silva (1981)
¬ III – In dedicatione
(The settlers’ projects: sugar, the Cathedral and the diocese)

The Prince, seeking to make this isle renowned,
Sent for sugarcane from Sicily’s shore;
That this fair isle may greater fame resound,
And plant the cane Sicily bears in store;
Its precious sugar, sweet and rich, is found,
Like ambrosia, it’s prized forevermore;
So precious that all earth shall call it best,
Desired by Jove and Juno, gods up high.

One hundred thirty churches shall resound,
And other famous deeds shall there be praised;
Some by their noble works shall be renowned,
And great basilicas shall then be raised;
Thirty-six parishes shall grace the ground,
Nine shall as collegiate be displayed;
Ninety devout chapels shall feed faith’s flame,
And strengthen hearts devoted to His name.

The Cathedral shines bright above the rest,
Like the bright Sun among the stars up high;
A mighty metropolis, in splendour dressed,
It stands afar where ocean waters lie;
Its story and its clergy shall be blessed,
With dignities both worthy and held high;
Not through the blood of noble birth or fame,
But through the light of virtue, learning’s flame.

It shall have two great organs, one most prized,
With five royal towers, each distinct and fair;
One round in the middle, and two square-sized,
The two that show the noblest forms with flair;
Two pointed ones, one joyful, shall be prized,
Whose looks and voices both are rich and rare;
In organ song and shawms, they seem to sing,
As though the voices of the heavens bring.

Daniel Davis (1990)
¬ IV – Elysium
(The abundance of Madeira Island)

All year, eternal spring shall crown the land,
With all flowers blossoming, fresh and bright,
Elysium shall soon before us stand,
With plants and herbs and waters pure and light;
The sugarcane shall flourish, green and grand,
A beauty to the islands, wondrous sight,
And comfort all who see it from afar,
Though sailing on the ocean, near or far.

The flowers shall breathe their sweetest fragrance,
And every hour shall sound as morning fair,
While birds shall sing with delightful cadence,
And health and life shall fill the gentle air;
Pure fountains shall flow forth in bright abundance,
Their crystal waters clear beyond compare,
So pure, so cool, so limpid in their flow,
That all of Europe shall their virtues know.

Through channels, aqueducts, and winding ways,
Their waters shall be led from place to place,
Bringing cool freshness through the island’s days,
And making fertile fields with ample grace;
The lands shall yield rich harvests, ripe with praise,
For cattle and for fruit in every space,
While countless trees and sacred herbs shall grow,
And flowers of every kind their colours show.

I shall not speak of vegetables in store,
Nor of the gardens rich with prized produce,
Nor of the famous preserves evermore
That win the world with their delightful use;
For trade, with splendid wealth, shall bring ashore
Rich cargoes from all lands that ships shall choose,
As swift-sailed vessels arrive each passing day,
And make the island rich through their array.

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Marking the fiftieth anniversary of Madeira's autonomy, the Regional Directorate of Culture commissioned four composers to create a work (actually consisting of four movements to be performed successively) based on Manuel Tomás's poem Insulana. The work (also titled Insulana) is being premiered today, as part of the 15th edition of the Madeira International Organ Festival. Four short texts, selected by Marta Marecos Duarte, were given to four Portuguese composers (two of them born in Madeira): João Santos, João Caldeira, Sérgio Silva, and Daniel Davis. The four texts allude to four key moments in Manuel Tomás's epic poem. The composers were given complete freedom, except for the obligation to adhere to the text and to limit themselves to the indicated musical forces (soprano, organ, and strings). Insulana assumes therefore a variety that reflects the nature of the four texts and also the choices and personalities of the four authors. In the first section, Revelação, by João Santos, "the tragic story of Robert Machim and Ana de Harfet unfolds between the discovery of the island, the wonder and the loss. The music begins in a deliberately epic, hymn-like and marching atmosphere, with the organ in toccata-like figurations and a theme that returns throughout the piece from different perspectives. More recitative moments alternate with others of a more descriptive nature. Between delight and tragedy, nature is simultaneously a place of welcome and fullness, but also the setting for ephemeral happiness, making the island simultaneously paradisiacal and funereal. In the end, everything is transformed into memory and longing." The second section, Sonho, by João Caldeira, recounts the discovery and "presents the personification of the Island through a dream, and while dreaming we let ourselves be lulled by the beautiful words of this Island that reveals itself and surrenders to Captain Zarco. Each nuance and each word hovers and echoes through the space of a revealing unconsciousness." Sérgio Silva, author of the third section, In dedicatione, opts for the reference to liturgical melodies: “In a chapter essentially dedicated to the theme of the Church, it seems pertinent to resort to Gregorian chant – the chant being proper to the Roman liturgy – and, more specifically, to the repertoire of the liturgy for the Dedication of a Church, as basic material [...]. In this context, the antiphon of the Introitus of the Mass, “Terribilis est locus iste”, constitutes the reference material for the first stanza; the Graduale, “Locus iste”, serves as the basis for the second; the antiphon for the Communio, «Domus mea», for the third; and, finally, the Vespers hymn of the same liturgy, “Cælestis urbs Jerusalem”, for the last stanza of the section. Finally, by Daniel Davis, «Campos Elísios, which originates from the fourth part of the poem. Insulana, entitled «Abundance of Madeira», proposes a journey through the landscapes of Madeira Island. Fields, seas, and mountains become starting points for a reflection on how the island is seen. Through the eyes of those who live there, those who once became accustomed to it and had to leave, or those who, never having lived there, contemplate it from afar. Musically, the work develops from a motif that repeats, fragments, transforms, and evolves until its exhaustion. This motif establishes a connection between music and text, functioning as a guiding thread throughout the entire journey. The work culminates in an affirmative, major ending, whose dimension also finds its origin in the text itself». These quotes from the four composers clearly show the different stances they took towards the challenge presented to them. However, the final result, more than a collection of isolated compositions, presents itself as a tetralogy: four chapters, four different visions of a single idea: the celebration of the discovery of Madeira, on the fiftieth anniversary of its autonomy.

João Vaz