The seagull above speaks volumes about the current state of things in Lisbon: under a bleak, sunless sky, he or she is stoically maintaining, reflecting on the bland but still beautiful city he or she calls home, and one step away from certain death — were he or she not a seagull and all. Remember, however, that you can not fly because, alas, you are not a seagull.
But you can learn to stand, and walk, and run, and climb, and dance, in the hope that one day you might learn to fly again (metaphorically speaking) if this madness ever ends. For some ways to do that, check out our full calendar of online happenings, and here is some stuff to keep you busy, grounded, and indoors, this weekend and for the near and very uncertain future.
CONCERTS:
This Saturday, you can check out a 75-minute journey through the history of jazz with the likes of Duke Ellington, Cole Porter, George Gershwin, Charlie Parker, Irving Berlin, Dave Brubeck, Horace Silver, and more, for five bucks, all day long, with the CCB’s streaming of last summer’s concert by Voice’n’Combo.
This Sunday, the CCB also presents the online video version of last summer’s performance by oboist Francisco Luís Vieira and his Ensemble Palhetas Duplas, also available all day, also for five bucks.
And this Sunday also kicks off Portugal’s “three-week festival of song,” with the first semifinal of its long-running national final Festival da Canção, used to choose the Portuguese representative to the Eurovision Song Contest in Rotterdam. And for the next three weekends, you can watch this musical version of the hunger games mask-free, from the safety of your home, and free of charge.
The online concert series “in solidarity with artists and technicians” Worldwide Wo+Men presents its sixth edition this coming Thursday, Feb. 25, with back-to-back performances by two heavy-hitting ladies from Cabo Verde and the Republic of Congo, via Facebook and also free of charge.
FILM:
The 18th edition of Doclisboa has gone online too. You can now stream dozens of international films — from one of Lisbon’s biggest film festivals in better days — old and new, some free, some at 2,50€ a pop (with discounted weekly passes), through Mar. 31.
KIDS:
And, finally, if your littluns are driving you up the walls because the schools are still closed, the CCB presents The Turtle and the Sea Boy, an interactive pastime for the whole family that combines oral narrative, immersive illustration, and science, so the little buggers can put that war paint to good use. It’s online through Mar. 31. You’ll need four bucks and some Portuguese for this one though.
And now a message from the original superman:
“He who would learn to fly one day must first learn to stand and walk and run and climb and dance; one cannot fly into flying.”
Friedrich Nietzsche.
Be safe, y’all.
