Portugal Day 12
Despite the previous daytime recovery, the night again required a stayover in the shower.
Along with coffee’s medicinal relief, the morning newspaper provided distraction
Google Translate supplied details.
[We learned later that this event attracted international attention.]
We took it easy for most of the day. Jan discovered that an Easter Choral Concert was scheduled for that evening back at the New Monastery. It required free email reservations, which she made.
This time we took a three-minute Bolt ride to the hilltop and arrived early enough to learn about the gigantic architectural complex which includes the church hosting the performance.
It enshrines the incorrupt body of Saint Queen Isabel (1271–1336), revered throughout Portugal for her modesty and charity.
“When caught secretly carrying bread to the poor in winter [forbidden by her husband, the king], she claimed her apron held roses; upon opening it, the bread had transformed into roses, proving her devotion”
Having extra time before the concert, we returned to the Bienale Exhibition and were greeted by a volunteer guide, herself an actress, producer and artist
I wanted to see the piece produced by Christian Anderson, the man from Stockholm who gave me the brochure at the ceremony the day before.
Maria took us to a small outbuilding devoted to his work, which I found more appealing than the others we’d seen.
The enormous Church occupies only a small portion of the long defunct monastery. Beyond the scaffolding for ongoing renovation, the five spriraling arches over Isabel’s tomb were coated with gold. (What would she think of that?)
The audience was sparse, made up largely of friends and relatives of the performers, most of whom, including the conductor, were young. The program consisted of three gorgeous pieces, two by a Baroque Czech composer, J.D. Zelinka, I never heard of
and one by Joseph Haydn.