October concert
For the fifth time, pianist Vasco Dantas returns to the Quintinha da Música, near Tavira, during the first month of our season. On Sunday, October 26, he will be accompanied on the clarinet by Joel Cardoso who visits us for the second time. The concert will feature mainly the American music of George Gershwin and Leonard Bernstein, together with pieces by virtuoso clarinetists Kovács and Gualdi. The centrepiece of this concert will be Three Romances by Clara Schumann.
As usual, the concert will begin at 5pm and reservations can be made by emailing peterbooker1347@gmail.com – the price at €30 includes interval ‘petiscos’ (snacks) and drinks.
The fall of the Pepper Empire
My presentation in October concentrates on the fall of the Portuguese Pepper Empire in the East. Begun under D Manuel I in 1498, the Portuguese Empire had reached its apogee in the 1570s and 1580s, before it was attacked and dismembered under intense local pressure, but mostly by attacks by the expanding Dutch East India Company.
The war between Holland and Portugal was so widespread that it might with some justification be called the First World War. It is strange today to think of the Netherlands and Portugal (both small countries) fighting in the Far East, India, Africa and Brazil. While the Portuguese fared so badly in Asia, how did they manage to hold on to Brazil and Angola?
Peter exposes the reasons behind the war, and shows who won, where they won, and why they won. Lectures will be held on Tuesday, October 28 at 6pm in Lagoa Municipal Library and Friday, October 31 at 11am in Tavira Municipal Library Álvaro de Campos. These presentations are free to attend. There will be a lunch after the Tavira presentation. Please email if you wish to attend – peterbooker1347@gmail.com
