A dare-devil violinist braved the fury of gigantic Nazaré waves over Christmas to play Jingle Bells as part of an extreme art project entitled “A violin in the most unlikely places”.
Professional musician Nuno Santos, described by Australia’s ABC news as a part-time big wave rider, succeeded in riding a 20-foot-plus wave and is now setting his sights on an even bigger challenge next year.
Snapped by Pedro Miranda, the photographer responsible for iconic pictures of big wave riders at Nazaré, Santos’ bow and violin both weathered the challenge, though others have seen his equipment irreparably destroyed.
ABC news explains: “Santos has lost several violins and bows in the big waves, and said paying for equipment, which also included surfboards and jet-skis, was one of the biggest obstacles the project faced.”
Other challenges Leiria teacher Santos has set himself include playing his instrument on the edge of an active volcano in Ecuador and deep in the Amazonian rain forest.
According to Pedro Miranda, Santos feat is “top of the list” of extreme things that he has ever filmed.
“People can easily die out there,” he told ABC news. “Doing that and playing a violin at the same time is mental.”
But now Santos vows he is planning to take on a wave three times bigger.
“I am planning it for February 2016,” he told the news service, adding “but it depends on the conditions.”
Photo: Professional musician Nuno Santos riding a 20-foot-plus wave while playing his violin
Photo by: PEDRO MIRANDA
