On 20 October, the Royal Palace of Mafra (a UNESCO World Heritage site) hosted the commemoration of the National Day of the Lines of Torres Vedras.
The commemoration began with a welcome from the Mayor of Mafra, Hélder Sousa Silva, followed by the Wellington Honour Awards ceremony, introduced by José Alberto Quintino, President of the Torres Vedras Historic Line Route.
The objective of these awards is to distinguish entities or individuals whose performance deserves to be honoured. In the words of the President, "this first edition of the awards appears, at this time, as a recognition and encouragement to the committed work of the distinguished entities, which have not given up during a long and difficult period for all sectors, but particularly for Culture and Tourism, due to the pandemic crisis".
The awards were presented by the mayor of Mafra, the president of the Historical Route of the Torres Lines and the vice-president, Ana Umbelino, and by the members of the board of directors, António Felgueiras and Rute Miriam.
The award ceremony was followed by the ballet INVASÃO (invasion), with choreography by Susana Galvão Teles and music by Abel Chaves. Under the motto "Entering a house without asking permission", this musical piece contained in itself several moments, from daily life to the reconstruction after the war, through the approach of the invasion, the invasion and the defence and resistance of the people and the two united armies.
The commemoration of the National Day of the Lines of Torres Vedras ended with the magnificent concert Musical Battle: BONAPARTE VS WELLINGTON - a musical show that was born from a selection of the favourite songs of two geniuses of strategy: Napoleon Bonaparte and the Duke of Wellington, who portrayed a musical outrage, in the South Cloister of the Royal Palace of Mafra, with the carillon of the South Tower serving as a pivot between the voice, the trumpet and the percussions.
The concert featured Abel Chaves (carillon, arrangements and musical direction), Susana Gaspar (soprano), João Milheiro (trumpet), António Rosa, Fátima Juvandes and João Português (percussion) and António Jorge Marques (narrator).
You can watch the Bonaparte vs Wellington - Musical Battle concert on the link below:
https://www.facebook.com/camaramunicipaldemafra/videos/202112568593515/
