Violinists Alexander Stewart and Regina Aires from Duo Lacerda are returning to the Algarve to take their audience on a whistle-stop journey of the history of the violin. “Violin Odyssey” will be performed on Saturday, September 30, at Boa Esperança, near Tavira, at 5pm.
When Alex’s father, himself a violinist, heard that Alex wanted pocket money, his advice was that the young violinist should go out onto the streets of London and do some busking … he would then realise how difficult it is to earn a living as a musician.
Born in London in 1964, Alexander Stewart began his studies at the age of six with his father Walter Stewart; later in Portugal he studied with Maxim Jacobsen and Vasco Barbosa.
Alex has given various concerts and recitals in England, Poland and Portugal, and has recorded both for radio and television.
In May 2004, Alexander was invited by the National Ballet Company in Lisbon to perform Stravinsky’s “Duo Concertante” with the soloists from the Zurich Ballet. He is presently one of the Concert Masters in the Orquestra Sinfónica Portuguesa. He is the first violin and a founding member of the Lacerda String Quartet, a founding member of the Aeternus Trio and a part of the Duo Lacerda with his wife Regina Aires, who plays second violin with the Lacerda Quartet.
Duo Lacerda offers a highly original musical odyssey covering 300 years of the development of the violin. They will describe how the instrument is built, how the bow developed and how the violin changed in response to audience demand.
In-between the historical descriptions will be musical illustrations and anecdotes relating to the lives of the composers. They offer showpieces from the works of composers of the Classical, Baroque, Romantic and 20th century periods, and from nationalities such as the German, Polish, Italian and French. It will be for the audience to guess the identity of the different composers as the evening progresses.
Odysseus took 10 years to complete his Odyssey as he returned to Ithaca after the Trojan War. Duo Lacerda will complete their odyssey in 90 minutes – not including the post-concert drinks. Tickets cost €25 (including post-odyssey drinks and tapas).
Bookings and directions: [email protected]
