

No Monte das Oliveiras
This program that we present to you, entirely dedicated to traditional Portuguese Catholic music, comprises a selection of devotional songs that begin with the praise of life through the adoration of Mary and Jesus, and end with the desperate plea for the salvation of souls from purgatory or in the Lenten repertoire.
In the religious musical tradition, practically all the repertoire is sung. If we consider that religion unites or has united different communities for hundreds of years, it is natural that there is a vast polyphonic repertoire, even if performed outside of celebrations. In parallel, as a reflection of
spirituality and the individual need to appease the soul and keep the will to live alive, there is also a vast solo repertoire, consisting of prayers, supplications, and songs of praise.
“On the Mount of Olives” is, therefore, a representation of devotional music practiced by the people and inspired by the little they understood from the scriptures of the Bible. In its simplicity, this music reflects the anguish, fears, and uncertainties of a people who understand their insignificance, and who live in a limbo between right and wrong, between beauty and horror, between life and death, between heaven and hell.
Artist Sheet
Antony Fernandes - Bagpipes, Voice and Percussion
Carmina Repas Gonçalves - Viola da Gamba and Voice
Carolina Repas Goncalves - Soprano
Eva Braga Simões - Soprano
Maria Repas Gonçalves - Contralto
Cristina Repas Gonçalves - Contralto
Gabriela Braga Simões - Contralto
Pedro Silva Marques - Tenor
Nuno Mendes - Bass
Peter Silva - Bass
Hugo Sanches - Theorb and Baroque Guitar
Tiago Manuel Soares - Percussion
Xurxo Varela - Viola da Gamba