MUSICAL-MENTE

“Music and Humour” is the motto of the fifth edition of MUSICAL-MENTE, which unfolds in two movements: A Grande Fantasia [Grand Fantasy] and Humores de Câmara [Chamber Humours] (scheduled for May 2026). Music’s ability to integrate, illustrate or induce humoristic elements (from laughter to the burlesque and satire) is extensively explored in the works and authors chosen. The verve of Camille Saint-Saëns’ Tarantella, Haydn’s skill in conducting us through his Joke and the playful virtuosity of Canadian composer Srul Irving Glick combine into the perfect antechamber for Saint-Saëns’ Carnival of the Animals. This suite of fourteen small pieces that evoke the peculiarities of a number of animals (such as chickens, kangaroos, cuckoos and… pianists!) is an amusing musical satire. Each piece has its own unique instrumentation, with the Finale bringing together the remarkable ensemble of ten musicians featured across the concert. Actress Maria Rueff will deliver the prelude and also narrate a series of texts describing the animals in the piece, in António Mega Ferreira’s free version of humourist Francis Blanche’s French original. “Everything is ready… the crowd begins to quiet down, / while the orchestra tip-toes in.”

Grand Fantasy

part 1
Camille Saint-Saëns – Tarantella, opus 6
Joseph Haydn – String Quartet op. 33 no. 2, The Joke
Srul Irving Glick – The Klezmer’s Wedding

part 2
Camille Saint-Saëns – The Carnival of the Animals: Grand Zoological Fantasy