Fado Favorites 2012

The fado is holding steady, even flourishing, through Portugal's fiscal crisis. In addition to plenty of music, there have been films, a play, books, and a number of notable events. Last year's UNESCO designation of the fado as "world immaterial heritage and patrimony" has helped, as has a wave of solid fado records. But the successful UNESCO bid has also created some divisions.

These are my personal favorites from a very busy year in the fado. An important caveat: I am not living in Portugal (though I did spend a couple of weeks there last year), and--despite the fado's ever increasing global profile--I am sure I failed to hear or read about many excellent works. If you feel there's something I missed, please drop a comment and let me know about it!


Notable Records

Saudade no Futuro. Fados Dos 8 Aos 17 Anos
This year's sentimental favorite: fado sung and played exclusively by kids between 8 and 17, all of them hugely competent, and all singing fados that are completely right for their ages. Highest recommendation.

Most of the group
Beatriz Felício

Aldina Duarte. Contos de fado
Aldina Duarte returns! Many lyrics written by her, and performed as always with top-flight musicians. Erudite but passionate.

Live at the Fado Museum

Helena Sarmento. Fado Azul.
A classic fado record, with solid musical performances and fresh lyrics, delivered in a tight and individualistic style. An excellent introduction to the modern fado.

Live in Porto

Sandra Correia. Ao Vivo
Passionate and intimate. The repertory reflects the core of fado as performed in many of the houses of Lisbon and, in Sandra Correia's case, the city of Porto, where she is a regular performer at the Casa da Mariquinhas.

Live in Estoril

Rodrigo Costa Felix. Fados de Amor
A pensive follow-up to his more sprightly first record, this is the only disc by a man on the list. Unlike many other singers, Rodrigo Costa Felix is willing to explore the bizarre trajectories of modern love, but also to recognize the base emotions that bring us together--sometimes against our will. (Rodrigo is coming to the Casa do Alentejo, Toronto, Canada on 16 March 2013.)

Amigo Aprendiz (voted one of the 12 best ballads of the year the The Atlantic magazine in the US)

Joana Amendoeira. Amor Mais Perfeito
Joana Amendoeira was part of a vanguard of fadistas who bridged the time between the end of Amália Rodrigues' career and the beginning of the new wave of fado. Anything she releases is worth listening to. Here, she offers a series of both deep and playful reflections on her long association with one of Amália's most important guitarists, José Fontes Rocha. The beauty of this record transcends our listening to it.
Live in 2006
Live at Rádio Amália in 2012

Carminho. Alma
Carminho is on a non-stop burn through the fado. Her beauty, her voice, and her uncompromising approach to her repertory enable her to engage the past of fado and to challenge the shape of its future. She is a bold and forthright singer, with a compelling live presence. This record, as well as her first release "Fado", are both modern classics.

Carminho's web site
Live in Lisbon


Digital Fado
This is unquestionably the year that fado jumped headlong into the digital age. While there continue to be various homegrown web sites devoted to the fado (like this one), it's only recently that the artists are getting out there in earnest. The record label "Saudade Records" is a trailblazer in this regard. The label represents fado artists who, generally speaking, have a lower international profile than those on, say, Sony. But the label has promoted its artists through a range of digital media, including Amazon, iTunes and Facebook. Those lucky enough to purchase the physical copies of the CDs will find that they are lovingly and carefully made, with plenty of documentation. In the last 1 1/2 years, the label has been on a roll, with records by Pedro Galveias, José Manuel Barreto, and Saudade no Futuro. Next year promises more.

Another digital highlight was Carminho's promotional campaign for her second CD, Alma. She published one video per week on YouTube in the time leading up to the release, with each video telling the story of one track on the album and featuring samples of the song (ex., Lágrimas do Sul). This was an enormously successful endeavor (Ana Moura followed suit before the release of her latest album, Desfado). Other artists, such as Rodrigo Costa Felix, Maria Ana Bobone and Ricardo Ribeiro began to emphasize Facebook and YouTube over MySpace to publicize their work. Rodrigo Costa Felix also showed up with his wife in a flashy photo spread, and Carminho was in some kind of promo campaign for watches. Definitely interesting.

Aldina Duarte continues to stretch and stretch. In addition to a new album, this year, in cooperation with the Fado Museum, she produced a series of interviews spanning a variety of fado-related themes, all of which can be seen on the museum's web site. She continues to write lyrics for herself and other fadistas. She has also been acting for film. Duarte is a wide-ranging artist who has yet to find her limits. She is defintely one to watch.

The video stalwarts of YouTube continue to document the fado as it happens outside the main venues. Here are some standout singers they captured during the past year:
Rogério Silva
Artur Batalha
Clara Sevivas
Sónia Santos
Jaime Dias

And some great channels:
jorgeferreirafado
casadofado
4FadoLisbon
FadoTV

The director Diogo Varela Silva released the documentary "O Fado da Bia", a close-up look at the iconoclastic fadista, Beatriz da Conceição. Unlike his documentary of the fadista Fernando Maurício, this one is short on head shots and long on voyeurism, capturing Beatriz da Conceção in performance and in conversation with other fadistas, where she speaks intimately of her life in the fado. The filmed performances testify to her towering presence in the fado, while the conversations reveal some of the internal contradictions, flaws and strident views that--until now--have been expressed mainly in her music and sporadic interviews. It's a captivating psychological portrait

O Julgamento do Chico do Cachiné

A rare piece of fado theater made it to the stage this year. "O Julgamento do Chico do Cachiné" was written by Linhares Barbosa in 1945, first performed in its entirety the same year at the Adega Machado, then only sporadically and incompletely until this year, when it was resurrected by the singer and scholar Daniel Gouveia. I was lucky to be in Lisbon during its run at the Teatro Ibérico in Lisbon. The Chico in question is on trial to determine whether he is a scoundrel or an honest man--and there are plenty of colorful characters ready to testify either way. The production merits its own complete entry (which I expect to write soon), but was notable for the heavily improvised performances of the three fadistas (Gouveia, Nuno de Aguiar, and Maria Eméilia) who took on all the roles, and for the top-notch playing of the two musicians, Sidónio Pereira and José Clemente.

Raul Nery

Among the losses in the fado this year were two stalwarts, the incomparable Raúl Nery, who played on countless important fado records from the 1940s until his professional retirement in the 1990s, and José Lá Féria, an indefatigable promoter of the fado on radio.

The poetry of the fado--and the poets of the fado--jumped into the fray over the worsening state of the Portuguese economy and the resulting threats to the Portuguese way of life. Tiago Torres da Silva published a poem per day (on Facebook, of course) that cut to the bone of the issues facing the Portuguese people. Mário Rainho put aside his work organizing fado at the Pérola do Fado in order to devote his time to writing for musical comedy on the stage ("farce" is probably the better term). This one, entitled "Humor com Humor se Paga!", is a sly and winning commentary on Portugal's current economic and social situation. In Porto, the enigmatic António Torre da Guia continued to churn out poetry--combined with his own inimitable graphics--on a diverse range of topics.

The UNESCO designation has certainly created lots of opportunities for bringing more fados to the masses--but also for making a buck. In the former camp, are two excellent initiatives, the fado school in the Lisbon neighborhood of the Mouraria, and a small, very precious book called "My first Amália"(available on wook.pt).  In the latter, there have been countless collections of "fado" available in stores and through magazine promotions, as well as many singers and groups who are now "fado". In the wake of this commercialization, some singers and musicians have simply headed for the hills, perhaps to wait until the furor blows over. Somewhat surprisingly, some of the stalwarts of the fado--including Ana Moura and Lenita Gentil--released records that were barely (Moura) or not (Gentil) fado at all. Having said this, both singers continue to promote the fado like few others: Moura through nearly continuous touring worldwide; Gentil through her steady appearances at O Faia in Bairro Alto.

Finally, big-time fado in the US continues to happen, although at a rate that belies the level of interest in the music here. Among the concerts this year was a marquee event at Carnegie Hall, which included the fadistas Celeste Rodrigues, Jorge Fernando, Fábia Rebordão and Filipa Cardoso. Ana Moura stopped here on an international tour, as did António Zambujo. Meanwhile, Manuela Cavaco and Carlos Macedo visited Newark, NJ--a continuing center for fado in the US. A new Facebook group is publishing ongong news about upcoming fado events in the US, whether led by Portugal- or US-based artists.

My wishes for the New Year? Very simple! Visits to the US by Carminho, Ricardo Ribeiro and Rodrigo Costa Felix. All of these (and others) are singers in their prime, with repertories that are continually evolving and music played by some of the best fado musicians the country has to offer.

Coming soon... Best of Fado in 2012

What are these kids waiting for (and who are they?)--find out soon when this year's "Best of Fado" list is published here!

Essential Fado

The Facebook group "Fado in the US" is a good place to find information on fado performances in the US (though we are always looking for new contributions!). I asked the group's members for their essential fado recordings. Here are the responses, with the writer of the lyric and, sometimes, the singer who was mentioned*):

Carlos Conde
(follow the link for more)

• Porta do coraçao (Carlos Conde)
• Oiça lá Ó Senhor Vinho (Alberto James; as sung by Amália)
• Barco Negro (David Mourão Ferreira)
• Casa Portuguesa (Reinaldo Ferreira)
• Primavera (David Mourão Ferreira)
• Povo Que Lavas No Rio (Pedro Homem de Melo)
• Canção do Mar (Ferrer Trindade; as sung by Dulce Pontes)
• Coimbra (José Galhardo)
• Bairro Alto (Nuno de Aguiar or Carlos Neves; as sung by Carlos do Carmo)
• Lisboa, Menina e Moça (Ary dos Santos)
• Fado da Sina (Amadeu do Vale; as sung by Hermínia Silva)
• Rosa Enjeitada (José Galhardo; as sung by Hermínia Silva)
• Mariquinhas (probably Casa da Mariquinhas, or maybe Leilão da Casa da Mariquinhas, or Mariquinhas Vai à Fonte,...)
• Pomba Branca (Vasco de Lima Couto; as sung by Max)
• Cabelo Branco é Saudade (Henrique Rego; as sung by Alfredo Marceneiro)
• Ó Gente da Minha Terra (Amália Rodrigues; as sung by Mariza)
• Tive um Coração, Perdi-o (Amália Rodrigues; as sung by Cristina Branco)

Thanks everyone! And please do join the group "Fado in the US" if you'd like to get plugged in to live fado in the US.

*More complete information is available at José Fernandes Castro's site, Fados do Fado.

Prémios Amália

Every year, the Amália Prizes (Prémios Amália) are awarded to a selection of artists "in" or "out" of the fado. The jury is filled with some very good people. Below are the results from this year. Many of the names are recognizable from this blog, including Fábia Rebordão, Rodrigo, Rádio Amália, Carminho, and Ângelo Freire. 

The categories are roughly as follows ("dentro"="in", "fora"="out"): (A) Revelation ("new discovery") within the fado (voice, Portuguese guitar, viola), then outside the fado; (B) Album in and out; (C) Composition; (D) Poetry; (E) Career in and out; (F) Scholarship; (G) Dissemination; (H) Singer in and out; (I) Musicians (as above); (J) Fusion; (L) Discographic production; (M) Prestige; (N) International dissemination; (O) Tribute to Amália.

There's alot of great talent on this list. I'm not sure I agree with all the choices (half of the album by Alvim is not fado), but others are spot-on. Cidália Moreira and Rodrigo do not necessarily get the attention they deserve (E); Sardinha's book is controversial but interesting (F); Rádio Amália (G) and Carminho (H) are both excellent choices, as are those for the musicians (I)--all of whom are fairly young. Mísia was a surprise, as she has wandered for many years out of the fado (and out of Portugal), but tours tirelessly (N). Gonçalo--I don't know what the prize is for, but the guy has a good voice (O).

If you're traveling soon to Lisbon...

Here is an event worth attending if you will be in Lisbon over the next couple of weeks. Fátima Fernandes is a stalwart of the fado scene, and on 28 October 2012 she'll be celebrating 40 years in the fado (as well as a new CD). The list of singers and musicians for this event is testimony to her renown: there are so many great artists on this list, it's mind-boggling. The event will take place at the Voz do Operário. This is a biggish hall (maybe a couple of hundred people)--but don't worry, it'll be full and homey. Here is Fátima at the Grupo Desportivo de Mouraria. Yes, approximately everyone is singing along to this. Parabéns Fátima Fernandes! Mereces isto e muito mais!

Manuela Cavaco coming to New Jersey on 6 October

The Portuguese fadista Manuela Cavaco will be bringing the fado from Montijo, Portugal to Elizabeth, New Jersey on Friday, 6 October 2012. The concert is organized by the Fundação Amália USA, and will take place at the Salão Nobre next door to Nossa Senhora da Fátima (Our Lady of Fátima) church, which is located at 403 Spring Street in Elizabeth. The event begins at 6:30pm. Cost is $60 per person and includes dinner.

In addition to Manuela Cavaco, fadistas based in the Elizabeth area will perform, among them Pedro Botas. Accompanying these singers will be José Silva (guitarra portuguesa), Viriato Ferreira (viola), and Pedro Pimentel (contra bass), all of whom played early this year when Carlos Macedo visited here. I was there and they were great. The evening will also include a tribute to the late Cora d'Abreu, a fadista who performed for many years in and around Newark.

In a brief interview, Manuela spoke about her past and present contact with the Portuguese community in the USA. During one memorable visit, she got involved in an Açorean-style desgarrada--a sort of competitive back-and-forth between two or more singers--that lasted until four AM. She was so tired due to the time difference that every once in a while she would take a rest on the couch--but she never lost her place.

Her visit this time came about with a phone call to her home, and the person on the other line asking "Do you want to come to the US?" "What time is the flight?" she responded. The concert will benefit the Fundação Amália USA (named for Amália Rodrigues).

My recommendation is get your tickets now: Manuela was supposed to have come earlier this year but could not due to a travel snafu. For reservation and more information, call Margareth de Jesus (973) 332-3776 or Lídia Maio (908) 334-6640.

If you are on Facebook, look for Manuela. In addition to her web site, you can see and hear performances of hers on YouTube. Here is O Vento (The Wind), Avé Maria Fadista (Hail Mary, Fadista), and Fadista Louco (The Crazy Fadista). You want pure fado? Go!

Good-bye to a good friend

A good friend and fadista from Portugal, José Maria Fernandes, died very recently. I wrote this short piece about him, our friendship, and the fado. I'm going to try to find time to translate it, but in the meantime (knowing that some of you speak Portuguese), here it is (text is taken from my other blog, http://fado-hoje.blogspot.com).


Venho por aqui falar de um grande amigo e fadista, José Maria Fernandes, que faleceu há uma semana. A nossa amizade foi criada juntamente com o fado, ou talvez seja melhor dizer que quanto mais que conhecíamos, mais que compreendi sobre o fado e a bondade que pode ser criado dentro do âmbito fadista. Quando vim com a minha família à Lisboa há alguns anos--sem saber nada do fado actual--foi ele que me introduziu ao mundo fadista que agora faz parte imutável da minha vida.

Na altura quando lá vivíamos, frequentávamos a Baiuca em Alfama. Pouco a pouco, eu ia conversando com os fadistas, os músicos e as outras pessoas que por ali passavam. Gostei de ouvir o José Maria cantar, mesmo que os clientes conversassem tanto durante o fado. O José Maria cantava os clássicos, os fados associados com os fadistas que ele apreciava mas que se encontrou fora da moda, como o Fernando Farinha ou o Tony de Matos. Ele cantava de amor e de solidão. Era romântico, sem desculpas.

Comigo não queria falar da sua vida privada. Um dia perguntei-lhe" "Aonde trabalha?" Respondeu enigmaticamente: "Trabalhava em Alcântara..." Percebeu perfeitamente o que eu tinha perguntado, mas não queria entrar no assunto, nem me ofender. Para muito tempo, só sabia que era "da outra banda."

Ele vadiava de casa em casa em Alfama, uns dias por semana. Encontrei-o muitas vezes na Baiuca, e anos depois também frequentava o Sr. Fado. Como muitos outros fadistas, não queria ganhar dinheiro, só queria era cantar e conversar com amigos durante os intervalos ou quando esperava por sua vez. Fomos uma vez a um território distante–a Graça–para visitar a Tasca do Jaime. Pôs-se em pé, introduziu-se com humildade, agradeceu a dona, depois cantou dois fados do coração. Gostou, mas percebi que o seu povo, e os seus lugares de hábito, eram todos de Alfama. Por outro lado, sempre ia conosco por qualquer lado: às outras casas de Alfama, à Mouraria.

A manter a ordem à porta da Baiuca

Uma vez telefonei-o, e atendeu ao telefone bruscamente, como sempre. "Ó Zé, aonde está?" Estava na casa do Sr. Henrique, no sul do país. "A fazer o que?" perguntei eu. A ajudar nisto ou naquilo, depois ele ia regressar à noite para trabalhar no dia seguinte. Outras vezes, estava indo para Angola. Sempre a vadiar...

Queria que nos fôssemos portugueses: eu, a minha esposa, e os meus filhos. Ajudou-me com a burocracia portuguesa, inventou planos fantásticos para que eu conseguisse manter uma presença permanente em Portugal ("compre um apartamento", "troque o seu trabalho", etc.). Fizemos percursos de pê e de carro por várias zonas de cidade. Não era jovem, mas andou sempre velozmente, cheio de vontade para chegar.

Uma vez que visitamos Lisboa, queria buscá-nos no aeroporto. Disse-me que tinha um carro que servia.  Não acreditava. "Cabe, cabe. Não se preocupe", respondeu o meu amigo. Chegou com um Citroën antiquíssimo, que não foi nada grande. Mas ele não queria saber nada das minha dúvidas. De uma magia qualquer, conseguiu meter tudo lá dentro--cinco pessoas e todas as malas. Depois da visita, ao regressar ao aeroporto, ofereceu-me uma caixa de discos do fado. Não o queria, mas disse "Trago sempre uma commigo, e vou dando-a quando me apetecer, depois compro mais uma." Assim, o fado e ele andava sempre a par.

Quando eu estava fora de Portugal, telefonava-o por Skype, e por isso ele não reconhecia o número. Quando atendeu ao telefone, dizia "Alô", duma maneira brusca, que transmitiu uma mensagem clara: "Como é que vais explicar esta intrusão?" Eu respondia, "Ó José Maria, é David Mendonça." "Ó David, como está amigo!" E depois era tudo alegria. Mesmo na rua, eu nem sempre percebia quando ele sentia pró ou contra alguém, pois resmungava à frente de todos.

Na Tasca do Jaime

O José Maria vivia com o fado sempre no peito. Quando falávamos, às vezes exprimia os seus sentimentos em termos fadista, sem pretensões e como se fosse a sua própria linguagem. Queria ensinar-me toda a história do fado que conhecia, a qual assisti com toda a minha atenção. Introduziu-me ao mundo ocupado por aquelas pessoas que vivem para o fado, e não através do fado. O fado do José Maria era um fado puro, que refletia uma sensibilidade profundamente humana, cheia de honestidade, e que não aceitou a falsidade.

A última vez que o vi foi recentemente. Estávamos em Lisboa para uma curta visita. Já tinha percebido que não estava bem. Falamos brevemente por telefone, mas foi preciso confirmar os pormenores com a filha dele. (Logo descobri que ele sofreu bastante só para lá chegar.) Estava sentado à porta da Baiuca, com muitos amigos ao seu redor. "Vou cantar" disse ele. A filha protestou, também eu. "Quero." Pediu desculpas da minha esposa por não ser capaz de cantar "Leio em teus olhos", que sempre cantava para ela. Ia cantar outra coisa, então pôs-se de pé. Num instante, a Baiuca e tudo que não era o meu amigo evaporou. Cantou "Senhora da Nazaré" do fundo da alma, com toda a força da vida, com muito mais força do que o corpo tinha. Depois saiu subitamente: estava gasto. Depois falamos para uns minutos, mas foi a última vez que o vi. Era tudo pelo fado, e tudo por amizade.

Backlinks...

For about the past year, two news outlets--the Luso-Americano and the Portuguese-American Journal--have been publishing some of my writing about the fado (and, occasionally, other Portuguese-related themes). Both have mentioned this fado blog, as well as the one I write in Portuguese. So, it's only fair that I say a bit about each of them!

The Luso-Americano is a Portuguese language print newspaper, founded in 1928 and published in Newark, New Jersey.  With the widest print distribution of any Portuguese-language newspaper in the USA, it covers Portuguese and Portugese-American news items. Lately, the journalist Ricky Durães has been writing some great stuff about the fado, particularly in the NY metro area, covering many of the area's larger and smaller fado performances and related events. Indeed, the Luso-Americano is probably the first best place to look for news and upcoming events on the fado (and other Portuguese music) along the east coast. For example, did you know that Ana Moura is coming to Durham, North Carolina on 29 March 2013, or that Deolinda will be in Chicago on 24 September?

I should also note that, in addition to news, the Luso-Americano publishes various essays and opinion pieces. These include an excellent, very long-running series written by Ferreira Moreno, centered on Portuguese culture and folklore. The paper also has an English language section. You can subscribe to receive it by post, or read a slightly delayed copy online. I am currently working on a Portuguese-language essay for them on the topic of contemporary poets and the fado.

The Portuguese-American Journal is a fairly recent endeavor, published in English. The journal is "dedicated to the Portuguese-American heritage with the purpose of informing and offering an insight into the Portuguese-American experience."Its editorial scope is broad, with new articles published frequently. It's available through Google News feed, as well as through its own web site. The most recent article I wrote for them is a review of Sandra Correia's new album, "Ao Vivo".

More on "Fado&Piano"

Here's a very informative comment on the latest Maria Ana Bobone record, written by one of the readers of this blog, Aldemar Fernandes Parola. (Note: version in Portuguese is below.) I hope you enjoy it!

'In my opinion fado for voice and piano is not a new hypotesis. What is new in “Fado & Piano” is the fact that Maria Ana Bobone plays piano and sings simultaneously. Few singers have the knowledge, the ability and the art to play piano and sing simultaneously. Since fado and the majority of the portuguese traditional songs are a kind of ritual music, transmiting feelings and emotions, the control of the cadence is extremely important and to have control on the cadence nothing better than to have one person playing and singing.

'Piano was already used in her second CD, “Senhora da Lapa” as an accompaniment for the majority of the tracks but it was played by João Paulo, another virtuoso, composer of the beautiful melody of “Senhora da Lapa” score.

'In the first CD of Maria Ana Bobone, named “Luz Destino”, published in 1996, which was more audacious than “Fado & Piano” due to the arrangements with a barroque sonority made by Ricardo Rocha, she was accompanied at the harpsichord by João Paulo, at the portuguese guitar by Ricardo Rocha himself and in some scores at the contrabass by Mário Franco.

'May be “Fado & Piano” will be more popular than the previous CDs because at first sight it looks less sophisticated. But in my opinion this is not true. In spite of sophistication and simplicity being considered as opposed, all Maria Ana's CDs, including “Fado & Piano, are simultaneously simple and sophisticated. Is there something simpler than fado and piano? On the contrary is there something more sohisticated than voice conveing both excitement and joy in a quiet way accompanied on the piano with a harmonious arrangement ? Schubert's “lieder” are certainly good examples of the combination of simplicity and sophistication and I believe “Fado & Piano” is also another good example.'

--Aldemar Fernandes Parola

Versão em português: Na minha opinião fado para voz e piano não é uma hipótese nova. O que há de novo no "Fado & Piano" é o fato de Maria Ana Bobone tocar piano e cantar ao mesmo tempo. Poucos cantores têm o conhecimento, a habilidade e a a

rte de tocar piano e cantar simultaneamente. Como o fado e a maioria das canções tradicionais portuguesas são um tipo de música ritual, transmitindo sentimentos e emoções, o controle da cadência é extremamente importante e para ter o controle sobre a cadência nada melhor do que ter uma pessoa tocando e cantando.

Piano já foi usado como acompanhamento em seu segundo CD, "Senhora da Lapa" tendo sido interpretado por João Paulo, outro virtuoso, compositor da bela melodia da canção "Senhora da Lapa".

No primeiro CD de Maria Ana Bobone, chamado "Luz Destino", publicado em 1996, que foi mais audacioso do que o "Fado e Piano", devido aos arranjos com sonoridade barroca feitos por Ricardo Rocha, ela foi acompanhado ao cravo por João Paulo, à guitarra portuguesa pelo próprio Ricardo Rocha e em algumas das canções por Mário Franco ao contrabaixo.

O CD Fado & Piano de Maria Ana Bobone certamente será mais popular dos que os anteriores por uma única razão: aparenta ser menos sofisticado. Mas, na minha opinião isso não é verdade. Embora sofisticação e simplicidade sejam considerados como opostos, todos os CDs de Maria Ana, incluindo "Fado & Piano, são ao mesmo tempo simples e sofisticados. Existe algo mais simples do que voz acompanhada ao piano? Haverá algo mais sofisticado do que a voz transmitindo tanto emoção como alegria de uma forma serena acompanhada ao piano com um arranjo harmonioso? Os "Lieder" de Schubert são certamente bons exemplos da combinação de simplicidade e sofisticação e eu acredito que "Fado e Piano" também é outro bom exemplo.

Fado and piano??? OK, maybe this one time!

Maria Ana Bobone has a new record out--fado and piano. I've heard this sort of thing before--or thought I had. I went once to hear a live performance with two guitarists, one pianist and one singer--all top-notch. Total disaster. Tonally, it was a three-way fight, but perhaps they hadn't done enough practicing to enable them to compose dialogue in real time. In any case, I've never heard the combination yield good results.

Until now, of course. Maria Ana Bobone has arrived with a new hypothesis: fado for voice and piano, accompanied on some tracks by a contrabass and/or (ahem) a guitar. The voice+piano combination is not so revolutionary, as Amália Rodrigues herself experimented with it, but that was different (this was work with Alain Oulman during recitals, and I believe the "formal" recorded output is pretty small.) There's also a theory that fado was "originally" performed with voice and piano, but that is an argument for another day!

Back to this record. Perhaps because Maria Ana Bobone is both playing and singing, I think the combination works perfectly well here. Admittedly, I've not heard the whole record, but--if the combination was going to fail--it would have failed on the tracks I heard. The piano playing is heartfelt, deeply steeped in the fado, and the voice is crystalline. Somehow I'll have to get my hands on a complete copy (looks like it's available through the US-based iTunes). For the moment, here's a video that showcases her art. If anybody has heard the whole record and wants to comment, please do!

Que Deus Me Perdoe