The Inspiration
Fernando Pessoa was a Portuguese poet, writer and philosopher, who was born in Lisbon and thought to be one of the most significant literary figures of the 20th century. Pessoa’s has a distinctive, complex, and authentic style, which has made his writing relevant in the world of literature to this day.
«There are no norms. All people are exceptions to a rule that doesn’t exist.» - Fernando Pessoa
The Music
«Heimlich seufzen die Winde» is accentuated with the expressive Portuguese Fado music, sung by Marta Rosa from Lisbon, and underlined with guitar sounds and a string quintet with Laida Alberdi and Mihai Ilea on the Violine, Lina Karam Dor Abadi on the Viola, Vera Pritchina on the cello and Marko Hristoskov on the Kontrabass. Fado music is a Portuguese form of singing, often associated with pubs, cafés, and restaurants, originating in the 1820s and expressing the hard realities and torments of daily life. It is often described as «saudade» in Portuguese, which means «longing».
This longing Fado singing of Marta Rosa finds its way into the monastery church, where the performance comes to life with the art installation and stage setting by Ruth Maria Obrist.
The Voice
Marta Rossa, the Portuguese Fado singer from Alverca do Ribatejo was born in 1991. Her musical education began at the age of 10 and has since blossomed, having her first debut in 2003. In 2004 at the mere age of 13 she won the first prize at the «Grande Noite do Fado de Lisboa» competition at the Sao Luiz Teatro Municipal, a moment that marked the beginning of her professional life as a Fado singer – fadista.
In 2019, she won first prize in the «O Meu Fado» competition and recorded her EP «Entretanto», which was released in 2020 on all digital platforms of Universal Music Portugal. This was the year when Marta Rosa founded and joined the all-female Fado group «As Mariquinhas», which has had a significant impact on women around the world. Through this, she challenged the professional music circle in Fado, which had previously been predominantly males.
As a fearless fadista, Marta Rosas has made a name for herself through singing, writing, and teaching. She lives and performs daily in many of the most renowned Fado houses in Lisbon.
The Dancers
«Heimlich seufzen die Winde» is directed by Brigitta Luisa Merki and choreographed by Filipe Portugal with the dance ensemble of ten dancers: Dominic Harrison, Claudio Costantino, Eleanor Freeman, Sebastian Kapps, Valentina Pedica, Clara Thierry, Mariana Romao, Alessio Marchini, Sara Pennella und Blai Lopez Sanchez.
The Choreographer
The Swiss-Portuguese choreographer Filipe Portugal, lives in Switzerland. From 2005 to 2020, he danced as a soloist and principal dancer at the Ballet Zürich under the direction of Heinz Spoerli and Christian Spuck. Filipe Portugal trained at the National Conservatory of Portugal in Lisbon, after which he became a member of the National Ballet of Portugal and the Ballet Zürich.
The Artistic Director
Brigitta Luisa Merki is an award-winning artistic director, choreographer and dancer, who was honored with the Hans-Reinhart-Ring award in 2004. She has founded her own creative transformation in the development of the traditional, but never fixed flamenco. Her artistic creations are characterized by her persistent search for a contemporary dance and stage language, that remains true to the authenticity and inner expression of flamenco. Merki founded and has been the artistic director of the «Flamencos en route» dance company from 1984 - 2020. She has collaborated with many important flamenco artists and created choreographies for various schools and institutions in Italy, Germany and Switzerland.
Through the sound coulisse of Portuguese fado song, guitar and string quintet sounds, a mysterious wind blows through the performed art installation by Ruth Maria Obrist.
The Art Installation & Stage Setting
Ruth Maria Obrist, born in 1955 in Laufenburg lives and works in Baden. After obtaining her teaching certificate and spending a year in Berkeley, California, she taught at as primary school teacher. Soon afterwards, she then decided to attend a school for design in Basel and Zürich, participated in a pilot project for museum education in Switzerland and became an assistant at the School for Design in Zürich, teaching «Designing with Paper» for ten years. Since 1982, she has participated as a freelance artist in exhibitions both in Switzerland and abroad and has carried out numerous projects in open spaces.
The Itinerary for the 8th of June
Please RSVP for the Apéro here
21:00 – 22:10 Performance «Heimlich seufzen die Winde» starts in the monastery church Königsfelden.
Get your tickets for the performance here:
https://eventfrog.ch/de/p/gruppen/tanz-kunst-koenigsfelden-heimlich-seufzen-die-winde-7033781298117147968.html
