Maria Lada is a Galician poet. Describes emotions, pain, but also talks about its joys, about the magic of her people since her 17 years old and has already published five books. Miguel Seoane is a musician, classically trained, that accompanies her in this literature event that goes beyond the poetry recitals. They are poetic performances that aspire to inspire the audience that goes there regularly, or those who attend for the first time. Roaming thru our country hear the Nine with the company of the Corner House.
How this project does arrives in the house on the corner?
Maria Lada: The house on the corner organizes some residences for artists in Coimbra and offered us a time to be there, putting together a proposal and we have created the four a show, Philip, Ricardo, Miguel and I worked on my book called nine. These are poems to be more than a recital, which is what I do with Michael. I read the texts, recite the poems of the book and he plays, and is like a concert without stopping. So we purpose to do something more resembling a play with action, with physical images and work on my writing. Then we choose some poems and we have been in Coimbra in December to develop over several days how we could pass them to the scene and so we did.
And how does the partnership work with Maria?
Miguel Seoane: I make music and talking with Mary we decided not to make the recital standard melodies. I make a garment with sound environments.
Sounds create on purpose for her writings?
MS: Yes, there are few sounds that we repeated. What I do is use the guitar in an unconventional way. I evoke sounds, very organic things, ripping the strings, bumps. Create an environment, not so much a concert, giving primary importance to the texts. Make a rounding, making that the music does not interfere, or that overlaps the word.
How do you go from poems to a scenario? How do you make that transition?
ML: Well, I've writing for long. I was publishing since the age of 17. I started working in an association of poets, in which each wrote their poems in different styles, free verse, sonnets. We gave great importance to the act of transmitting the poems to people, through readings and poetry recitals. So I always worked hard to put into play. I always ran from the image of the poet who is concentrating on reading the book and that just raises the view once to the public. Then I have a theater training I did in college and now I'm even working as a professional actress in theater and then I always tried to do something in between than just a normal reading when I have a book. It is an interpretation of the poems. So I always do this work, are recitals with a turning point, theater, interpretation. The text in a theatrical point of view has always interested me much. I did some experiments in Galicia with different books and when I met Miguel started to do something different. Build a scene and I think my theatrical experience has a lot of weight on the way I read.
Nine what?
ML: It's a book I wrote after the Prestige disaster, which happened in Galicia. There was a strong reaction in society, in the environment and in the people close to me, with the peer groups and artists. There was a strong social reaction lead by artists, but also by neighborhood associations, the common people. Based on this material I started working on the pain and as an external event people can pick them up on an island of anger and November is the full name. It is the month when the boat broke in half. It is an island where people flee to escape the pain. Of the different types of pain, from the loving, more physical illness and social outrage for something that you cannot control. So throughout the book I am talking about it, a mythical island that collects this tradition of the maritime zones, of which there were whalers until the early twentieth century. Collect these mythical stories of islands that disappear when there is fog. They are the ones I heard when I was little and I added to the book.
You spoke earlier about the concerts, how the public reacts to these meetings?
ML: Our experience is very good. In Galicia there is a long tradition of reciting poetry and literary texts. Above all, from the nineteenth century the most common genre of literary expression for the Galician is poetry and readings in literary events. Since I started at age 17, I noticed the public boredom, because I also thought the same, the poets were there in their crystal tower reciting for the people in a very pompous, unrealistic way. They were events that do not interest me, and thought the audience who was watching it felt the same. Now there is a line of younger poets, like me, who work different ways to say poetry, with music, or through the theater. We ourselves took part in concerts that are more crazy, fun and where we can auction the souls of poets. The audience participates and its fun while listening poetry. Without requiring that the poet has to write a funny text. He can make the presentation the way he want, all wrapped in a kind of festive atmosphere. Works well with diverse groups with whom we work. We note that results with both types of public the ones that are already accustomed to more conventional poetry readings, as with people who have never heard before a poet. This is the best criticism. Thus it is what makes possible that the next day they go out and buy a poetry book of mine, or another writer.
