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CD Review / Concert Preview
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Town & Village, CD Review / Concert Preview >>
Every country seems to have its own form of emotional music; we have the blues, and Portugal has fado (which means "fate.") The leading fado singer of the last century was the late Amalia Rodriguez and, at the 1999 concert in her memory, a young guest artist galvanized the audience. The next year Mariza received the "Voice of Fado" award from Central FM (Portugal's national radio station).
Her first CD to be released in the United States, "Fade em Mim" revealed a powerful, haunting voice filled with emotion. The accompaniment there was traditional, featuring the distinctive Portuguese 12-string guitar. Her next album, "transparente" was a departure, at least in accompaniment. Thesinger traveled to Brazil to work with Jacques Morelenbaum, the cellist/arrange for Caetano Veloso.
His instrumentation was innovative but the 14 songs still maintained the melancholy spirit of fado. When I was in Spain during May, there were posters all over announcing her upcoming appearance and Carlos Saura (the distinguished Spanish director who made a series of films about flamenco), made "Fados," starring Mariza.
Her latest CD, "Concerto Em Lisboa" (on Times Square Records/ World Connection) is a live recording with the symphonic orchestra Sinfonietta de Lisboa, conducted by Jaques Morelenbaum in the gardens of Belem, Lisbon. The singer is a force of nature, performing these melancholy songs, filled with saudade, the Portuguese word that conveys a sort of longing for something that may never return. Fortunately, New Yorkers do not have to experience saudade because the singer is returning to the Big Apple. On October 12, Mariza will give a concert at Carnegie Hall. Incidentally, she is the first Portuguese artist ever nominated for the Latin GRAMMY Awards (to be held Nov. 8.) 10/11/07
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