The São Luiz Municipal Theatre hosts some of the shows from the São Carlos National Theatre’s programme, particularly during the opera and chamber music seasons. The Jardim Aberto (Open Garden) cycle continues the Foyer Aberto (Open Foyer) initiative, which was very popular with the public, maintaining the format of free admission to recitals and concerts. At these events, musicians from the Portuguese Symphony Orchestra and/or the São Carlos National Theatre Choir perform in small ensembles, showcasing their virtuosity as soloists.
The seasons have long served as mirrors of human emotions. Few genres have been able to capture this reflection as well as song. This concert traces a lyrical journey through summer, autumn, winter and spring, revealing how poets and composers from different parts of Europe have translated the cycle of nature into music of remarkable expressive intensity.
From the heat of summer to the renewal of spring, this chamber programme brings together French mélodie, German Lied and English, Italian and Portuguese art song, spanning the 19th and 20th centuries. Massenet and Duparc evoke languor and ecstasy; Schumann, Mendelssohn and Brahms, introspection; modern composers such as Eisler reshape the genre according to new expressive priorities. António Fragoso, Vianna da Motta and Fernando Lopes-Graça introduce Portuguese poetry into this broader dialogue between leading figures of European culture. At the heart of this classical song programme lies the unique bond between sound and word, whose poetic meaning is constructed from the balance between voice and piano. The seasons become metaphors for love, memory, loss and renewal, nuanced through contrasting musical languages.
Performed exclusively by Portuguese artists, this concert features sopranos Cecília Rodrigues and Carolina Raposo, mezzo-soprano Carolina Figueiredo and, on piano, maestro João Paulo Santos, whose commitment has been central to the recovery and dissemination of the song repertoire in Portugal.
From summer sunshine to spring serenity, this is an invitation for the audience to feel, through poetry and music, the breath of time itself.
Programme
SUMMER
Jules Massenet (1842-1912): Matin d’été
Henri Duparc (1848-1933) : Phidylé (Leconte de Lisle)
Alexander Zemlinsky (1871-1942): Im Lenz op. 2 N. º 2 (Paul Heyse)
Alma Mahler (1879-1964): Laue Somernacht N.º 2 in 5 Lieder (Gustav Falke)
Robert Schumann (1810-1856): Sommerruh WoO 9 (Christian Schad)
AUTUMN
António Fragoso (1897-1918): Chanson d’automne (Paul Verlaine)
Rita Strohl (1865-1941): Chanson d’automne N. º 3 in Dix Poésie (Paul Verlaine)
Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847): Herbstlied op. 63 N. º 4 (Klingemann)
Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924): Automne op 18 N. º 3 (Armand Silvestre)
Edward Elgar (1857-1934): A Song of Autumn (Adam Lindsay Gordon)
WINTER
Richard Strauss (1864-1949): Winternacht op. 15 N. º 2 (A. F. von Schack)
Ottorino Respighi (1879-1936): Nebbie (Ada Negri)
Déodat de Séverac(1872-1921): Temps de neige (Henry Gauthier Villars)
Hans Eisler(1898-1962): Winterspruch (Bertolt Brecht)
SPRING
Fernando Lopes-Graça (1906- 1994): Primavera LG 196; op. 79 (Afonso Duarte)
José Vianna da Motta (1868-1948): Frühlingsregen op. 3 N. º 2 (Ludwig August Frankl)
Franz Schubert (1797-1828): Im Frühling D 882 (Ernst Schulze)
Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924): Tristesse op. 6 N. º 2 (Théophile Gautier)
Georges Bizet (1838-1875): Chanson d’avril op. 21 N. º 1 (Louis Bouilhet)
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897): Walpurgisnacht op. 75 N. º 2 (Willibald Alexis)
Hugo Wolf: Er ist’s (Eduard Mörike)
Jules Massenet (1842-1912) : Prélude N. º 1 in Le Poème des Fleurs (Biagio Allievo)
Jardim Aberto
Chamber Music
23 September – Bomtempo
14 October – Faust
17 November – Women Composers
19 January – The Seasons
10 February – Fanny Mendelssohn and Robert Schumann
13 April – Colours in Grey – French Music from the Great War
9 June – Music in the Feminine
The Teatro Nacional de São Carlos, in partnership with the São Luiz Teatro Municipal, presents a series of concerts with commentary specially aimed at school audiences, in parallel with Jardim Aberto. Find out more here Uma viagem pela música com o Teatro Nacional de São Carlos – Commented Concerts for Schools, comments by Susana Henriques.
