This year, when the 45th anniversary of the SNS is being celebrated, Paulo Bernardino’s Christmas Cantata ‘O Pássaro Azul’ (The Blue Bird), inspired by the literary work of António Arnaut (1936-2018), takes to the stage of the Convento São Francisco. This choral-symphonic work is intended as a tribute to the National Health Service (SNS), evoking the politician, lawyer and writer who became known as the ‘Father of the SNS’. In this cantata, Paulo Bernardino, a native of the municipality of Penela like António Arnaut, transforms the texts of ‘O Pássaro Azul – Contos e Poemas de Natal’, published by Coimbra Editora in 1998, into music. As well as the usual orchestral instruments, the instrumentation also includes the Coimbra Guitar, the soul of our Coimbra song and a metaphor for our Portugueseness. On stage, more than 200 people lend their voices to the poet, singing the profound humanity that emanates from his verses.
The concert ends with the Hymn of the 45th Anniversary of the SNS and is sponsored by the Centre Regional Section of the Portuguese Medical Association, the Coimbra Local Health Unit and IPO Coimbra.