Four Days in Marvão – Silence, Music, and Infinite Tenderness
Translated article by Eray Aytimur
For me, the Marvão International Music Festival is not just a musical event. It is a state of mind. Perhaps even a destination. Together with the music, the places, the people, the atmosphere, and that deep serenity it creates, it seeps into one’s heart. Each time I go there, I realise I am going with a different, indefinable feeling of beauty. The growing sense of familiarity makes me feel even more at peace and secure. The 11th International Marvão Music Festival, once again under the artistic direction of the magnificent duo Juliane Banse and Christoph Poppen, opened on 18 July. As the journey from Lisbon took us about three hours, we missed the opening concert. But from the moment I found myself, under the night’s stars, inside the cistern of Marvão Castle for the Clarinete em Fado concert, time stopped. A festival is not only about the music on stage. Sometimes the magic spills over from the breath of the musicians, from the silent gaze of a listener, or from the young string quartet member sitting beside you at lunch. This year, it was exactly like that.
The Silence That Begins at Night (18.07.2025)
In the cistern, despite the starry night which was, curiously, both misty and cool, there was a gentle warmth. The acoustics were so captivating that I wondered: “Are these sounds rising from the stones or from the water?” On stage, three masters — António Saiote (clarinet), Artur Caldeira (Portuguese guitar), and Daniel Paredes (classical guitar) — were taking fado to another dimension. There were familiar melodies from the repertoire of Amália Rodrigues and Carlos do Carmo, but this time without voice. (Some might think that without the singer there is nothing left of fado, as it is often defined by the vocal interpretation.) Yet with the clarinet taking the place of the voice, saudade emerged in a more naked, deeper way. At times, the music wandered in the shadow of a cabaret, at times in the dim light of a film noir. This concert gave me not only music but also the space to rethink fado. I don’t know… I love Portugal in every way, but perhaps without this subjectivity, traditional vocal fado wouldn’t move me as much. This instrumental fado, however, would always have a place of honour in my heart. Perhaps because the concert was late, the musicians didn’t receive the warm ovation they deserved — I would have loved a bis. Perhaps it was their choice to end as they did, all of us gathering ourselves with the last piece. But inside me, the echo of those stones, that night, and those melodies still lingers.
Morning: Prayers Rising from Stone (19.07.2025)
The next morning we were in the essential venue of the festival: the Church of Nossa Senhora da Estrela. This year (perhaps last year as well, but I missed it), it was enriched with acoustic panels that enhanced the sound. Before us, young maestro Pedro Teixeira led the Officium Ensemble in polyphonic works from the 16th and 17th centuries of Évora Cathedral. This concert invited us not just to listen to music history, but to live it. Estêvão Lopes Morago’s Missa Dominicalis, Duarte Lobo’s Audivi vocem, Manuel Cardoso’s Aquam quam ego dabo… Voices echoing between stone walls reminded me of how extraordinary the human voice is as an instrument. The choir moved step by step across the stage, the acoustics following each movement with flawless smoothness. Perhaps the most special thing was the invisible bridge it built between past and present.
Afternoon: The Colours of Ravel (19.07.2025) Originally scheduled for the Church of São Tiago, the concert was moved to Nossa Senhora da Estrela. We were there to be filled to the brim with Ravel’s music. The young and dynamic Malion Quartett opened the feast with the String Quartet in F Major. In terms of technique, synchronicity, and individual aura, this quartet was one of my greatest discoveries of this year. The following day, I had lunch with violinists Miki Naghara and Lilya Tymchshyn — two radiant musicians, fluent in many languages and fully aware of the demands of the life and music they embrace. Next, violinist Lena Neudauer and pianist Connie Shih performed Ravel’s Violin and Piano Sonata, the “Blues” movement standing out as one of the earliest examples of jazz influence in classical music, delivered with technical perfection and historical understanding. Afterwards, Shih was joined by baritone Unai de la Rosa Hernández for Ravel’s ironic, delicate, and poetic songs about animals. The finale was a true musical banquet with Introduction et Allegro, featuring Christoph Poppen on violin, alongside Lena Neudauer, Nicolas Garrigues (viola), Aurélien Pascal (cello), Sónia Pais (flute), Horácio Ferreira (clarinet), and Carolina Coimbra (harp). Each shone like a star, guiding us through this septet.
We didn’t discover Marvão — Marvão discovered us”? Marvão truly draws the right people to itself. Leafing through the festival programme, you see how every contribution is acknowledged individually.
Night: The Story of Two Sisters (19.07.2025) At the Church of São Tiago, the night was devoted to the music of Lili and Nadia Boulanger. Lili’s Nocturne, steeped in loneliness, in mezzo-soprano Teresa Sales Rebordão’s voice held both storm and serenity. Pianist Silke Avenhaus, cellist Aurélien Pascal, and Christoph Poppen on violin completed this duality. Nadia’s Cantique, laden with inner wisdom, appeared not as an emptiness but as a breathing space. And that is exactly what this concert was: a breath
Morning: Schubert’s Silent Plea (20.07.2025)
On Sunday morning we returned to Nossa Senhora da Estrela to hear Schubert’s Mass in G Major. Between the congregation in prayer and the choir and orchestra conducted by Pedro Teixeira and Christoph Poppen, the voices of soprano Juliane Banse, tenor Julian Prégardien, and baritone Christoph Prégardien carried the serene prayer of young Schubert. Kyrie, Gloria, Benedictus… This was not just a mass, but music transformed into a sacred experience.
Afternoon: Farewell with Debussy (20.07.2025) The Debussy concert at the Church of São Tiago closed my weekend. On Sunday afternoon, from the very first notes, time slowed. Flautist Sónia Pais began with Syrinx, carrying both Pan’s lament and the whisper of a hidden desire — or perhaps both. This was followed by the Petite Suite for four hands, performed by Pavel Kolesnikov and Samson Tsoy. Light and warm, it recalled a seaside stroll. I’ve always enjoyed piano four hands, but this duo also charmed me with their stage radiance and even their matching orange outfits.
The first half ended with the five songs Debussy composed to Baudelaire’s poetry. Mezzo-soprano Catarina Sereno, well-known to the Marvão audience, gave them captivating emotional depth, accompanied on piano by Tae-Hyung Kim. The second half brought together Debussy’s final three sonatas, written during the war. In the Violin Sonata, Kevin Zhu and Tae-Hyung Kim conveyed both the resilience and the farewell-like joy of the work. The Cello Sonata, with Bruno Philippe and Connie Shih, became a true “dialogue between equals”. And the closing work, the Sonata for Flute, Viola, and Harp, offered perhaps the most lyrical farewell: in the hands of Sónia Pais, Nicolas Garrigues, and Carolina Coimbra, the sounds spread like a soft, timeless mist. With this concert, we heard not only Debussy’s music but also his farewell to the world. My third day in Marvão ended with this union of silence and grace, leaving me with a serenity I will carry for a long time. And Amid All This Magic… This was my third time in Marvão and my second at its music festival.
I have attended many events as an audience member, journalist, and even as a festival staff member, but I have rarely experienced something as perfect and nourishing in every sense as this. Sitting at the same table as Christoph Poppen, the festival’s creator and music director, and hearing his thoughts on the vision, the challenges, and the solutions was a privilege. And how could one not agree when he said: “We didn’t discover Marvão — Marvão discovered us”? Marvão truly draws the right people to itself. Leafing through the festival programme, you see how every contribution is acknowledged individually.
This explains why this beauty grows each year. The 2026 programme is nearly complete, and I am already excited. Perhaps one day, maybe in our retirement, João and I will be among the festival volunteers… life has its surprises!
CHRISTOPH POPPEN
CONDUCTOR