Imaginary Concert at The Monastery of Pombeiro Featuring: Alfred Schnittke, MSC, Rafael Anton Irisarri, Dead Can Dance, Anna Von Hausswolff, Hammock, Giulio Aldinucci, Jóhann Jóhannsson, Mare Cognitum, Arcana, Black Swan, Abul Mogard, Celer, EUS, Lawrence English, Loscil, Stars of The Lid. Duration: 02h 12m 51s.
Imaginary Concert at The Monastery of Pombeiro Featuring: Alfred Schnittke, MSC, Rafael Anton Irisarri, Dead Can Dance, Anna Von Hausswolff, Hammock, Giulio Aldinucci, Jóhann Jóhannsson, Mare Cognitum, Arcana, Black Swan, Abul Mogard, Celer, EUS, Lawrence English, Loscil, Stars of The Lid. Duration: 02h 12m 51s.
Imaginary Concert at The Monastery of Pombeiro Featuring: Alfred Schnittke, MSC, Rafael Anton Irisarri, Dead Can Dance, Anna Von Hausswolff, Hammock, Giulio Aldinucci, Jóhann Jóhannsson, Mare Cognitum, Arcana, Black Swan, Abul Mogard, Celer, EUS, Lawrence English, Loscil, Stars of The Lid. Duration: 02h 12m 51s.
Imaginary Concert at The Monastery of Pombeiro Featuring: Alfred Schnittke, MSC, Rafael Anton Irisarri, Dead Can Dance, Anna Von Hausswolff, Hammock, Giulio Aldinucci, Jóhann Jóhannsson, Mare Cognitum, Arcana, Black Swan, Abul Mogard, Celer, EUS, Lawrence English, Loscil, Stars of The Lid. Duration: 02h 12m 51s.
- Tracklist
Mix Cover: A crop of the majestic Pipe Organ at the XII Century Monastery of Pombeiro.
Banner Image: Monastery of Pombeiro, Felgueiras, Portugal.
I’ve been visiting the Monastery of Pombeiro in my hometown of Felgueiras, near Porto since I was a kid. After covid hit, and when not in a lockdown, I started taking almost daily strolls nearby, taking pictures, capturing field recordings, and just basically sitting around, admiring the untouched nature and letting my mind wander. There’s an aura of mystery and greatness in this 12th Century Monastery complex and its surroundings. And the dusk here is a thing of beauty.
The Monastery of Pombeiro is a significant historical and architectural site. Classified as National Monument since 1910, the vast building complex sits in a most special place brimming with natural beauty, a dream for 16mm film lovers and field recorders, tucked away in acres of green park and gentle forest, untouched for centuries.
The magnificent monastic church, constructed between the 12th and 13th centuries is one of the most important religious buildings in Portugal. It features a Romanesque design with three naves divided by diaphragm arches and bears witness to the wild tastes and varied styles that have been incorporated in its interior, from the medieval period, Romanesque-Gothic to Baroque.
I dream of playing a piece of contemporary, ambient music in here, and for the last few months, I’ve been thinking about how to go about it. The music and the sound system needed to present a one of a kind experience in a very special place. The music is in my head, and I often play a few fitting mixes on headphones when I visit the church. It needs to be well considered, an event which will deliver a much-needed message of hope and light in such hard times, while purposefully showcasing the beautiful church and its breathtaking ornamentation in a way never felt/experienced before.
The songs will be curated following a well-defined set of criteria, ranging from the quality of the recorded material, sound dynamics to soundstage, a stylistic approach to liturgy and last but not least, a personal preference.
The interior is generously wide and accommodating, able to fit 150 people and with its three arches standing 10 meters tall, the challenge in perfecting acoustic delivery will be significant but always entrancing. To install a competent sound system is a sizeable task, and to make it sound as intended in a church this size is no small deed, but nothing awe-inspiring was ever achieved with no effort.
In order to improve bass frequency, stereo image and soundstage (no Atmos-like trickery HRTF will be available) we ought to experiment with a number of speakers and subwoofers carefully placed around the altar and driven by competent power supplies and amplifiers. Every piece of the final setup will need to be carefully fitted into the space, at varying degrees of height, with no disruption to the permanent instruments and ornaments, and no wall, floor or ceiling touched. Now this is a project.
Of special note and consideration to us, music enthusiasts, is the beautiful Pipe Organ. With its gilded carving and polychrome base imitating marble the organ is located in the high choir, in a lateral position, on the gospel side. An identical but false organ was placed on the side of the epistle. The construction of the real organ began in 1766, by the hand of Francisco António Solha (or Solla) according to the inscription inside the instrument:
“Organum Hoc ad maiorem Dei Gloria(m) construtu(m) et virgini Matri ac Parenti (Patri?) Benedicto confectum (Consecratum?) // Artificis D. Fransisci Antonii Solha, imperante R. P. D. Fr. Pedro de Nazare, 2 o vice D. Abbate. Anno Domini 1766.”
With the decree of extinction of religious orders, in 1834, the Monastery was closed, with part of its belongings being sold at public auction. The organ, already mute and in bad shape, is saved and remains in its original place. It spends the next 200 years in silence until its full recovery in 2015, as part of a new cultural dynamic for the region, within the scope of the Rota do Românico.
(to be continued)
- thoughts AND COMMENTS
The Monastery of Pombeiro’s cloister, with its markedly neoclassical style, remained unfinished since the beginning of the XIX century, after many centuries of weather storms and incidents.
View of the church’s altar from the back, shot from underneath the high-choir, showing the centre nave, also the painted wooden ceilings on the sides.
The beautiful Pipe Organ dating from 1766, totally refurbished in 2015. This is the ‘real’ organ, placed on the gospel side.
View of the high-choir with the two organs, as seen from the lower back seating area. On the left, on the side of the epistle, sits the ‘false’ organ.
