The Lied (song) has great importance in Classical Music, and LIEDFEST was another contribution by soprano Catarina Molder to its promotion, highlighting its great significance in musical culture. However, in recent years, it has been forgotten and removed from the main auditoriums and halls in Portugal and internationally.
Lately, recitals of Song and Piano, such as Lieder (German) and Mélodie (French), have been neglected. Through the works of great poets, composers have created magnificent melodies inspired by poetry, expressing emotions of joy and sadness. Only Schubert composed around 600 Lieder!
LIEDFEST took place in the newly renovated Teatro Variedades in Lisbon’s Park Mayer, where we had choreographed recitals, which is not common, along with light plays, giving a new dynamic to both the singer and the piano.
There was also a recital in Portuguese with poetry by Camões, performed by mezzo-soprano Cátia Moreso, who also conducted a Masterclass.
A conference on poetry in German Lied was given by writer and translator João Barrento and philosopher Maria Filomena Molder, which was very enlightening.
The recital with Chausson’s lieder and excerpts in Russian from Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk and Katerina Ismailova by Shostakovich; Five Forms of Love had a very original staging, with Catarina Molder and a quartet of musicians who also contributed by performing on stage.
More recitals, always with light plays, such as those titled In the Mysteries of the Night, ended with a grand finale featuring Schumann's cycle Frauen und Leben, Poulenc's Fiançailles pour Rire, and Granados’ Canciones Amatorias.