Last Saturday (21 Feb 2015), for the first time in years, the huge Arade Congress Hall was sold out. It was an outstanding performance of the German opera Carmina Burana, by the Airforce Band and the Lisbon Cantat Chamber Choir. Congrats also to AFPOP and Maestro, Armando Mota.
Some 200 musicians on stage brought 980 to a standing ovation as I have never seen before in the Algarve. AFPOP made the difference, championing for its members the excellence of the opera and the musicians.
Maestro Armando Mota, who worked before in both Wien and Berlin, engaged these two important music groups who certainly had to rehearse many times, before getting this level of perfect timing.
I guess also important was that local media, such as Barlavento, had a long interview with Mota. He now has an ambitious programme to bring classic music to this hall.
This is what the whole of Algarve needs, more cultural activities during Winter to attract more retired tourists who could easily see such a performance as the key difference between flying to the Algarve, opposed to the Canaries. We need to boost the occupancy of our hotels during Winter, we don’t need more parties during summer when they are already booked up.
