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"Friday NIght Fado"
Dulce Pontes
Friday, April 20 • 8pm
$58
$38
$30
$25
“High theatrics dwell in her voice.”—Boston Globe
Program Notes
Dulce Pontes is best-known today for her role at the vanguard of rekindling interest in Portugal's traditional fado. But her international career got off to a mercurial start at the pop/rock oriented Eurovision Song Contest. For over 50 years—long before “American Idol”—the Eurovision Song Contest has served as a talent showcase for European singers and songwriters, and as a point of pride for participating nations. Pontes, already an accomplished actress and TV personality in Portugal, had the honor to represent her home country in 1991.
Her star-making appearance at the Eurovision contest led to her first album, Lusitania, but it was not until Pontes' second album, Lágrimas, that she began to reach back to traditional Portuguese folk forms. Fado dates well back to the early 19th century, but was popularized in the 20th century recordings of "Queen of Fado" Amália Rodrigues. At the music's core is the difficult to translate concept of saudade. "'The word is usually and hastily translated as 'nostalgia', which has not the same meaning, Pontes said. "Saudade has a more positive connotation. It describes that deep emotion you feel when recalling something (or somebody) that you see has yours, that carries you inside, that nobody can take away from you, but, at that very moment, is far away from you and cannot be touched. As a Portuguese, I feel it is my duty to make this clarifying statement.'
Indeed she has, and always with an eclectic eye towards viewing fado through a wide variety of world music influences. Pontes has worked with such diverse musicians as José Carreras, Wayne Shorter, Andrea Bocelli, the Chieftans, Cesária Évora, and Caetano Veloso. Her collaboration with Italian composer Ennio Morricone began in 1995 with the song "A Brisa do Coração" (also the title of her subsequent live album). In 2003 the two collaborated on an album, Focus, which was a huge success in Europe.
On her latest album, O Coração Tem Três Portas (The Heart Has Three Doors), Pontes returns to her roots with a stunning variety of Portuguese folk tunes and traditional fado. This innovative singer will share that same energy and rich vocal gift at tonight's show, the kick-off to her U.S. tour. “Concerts are the most happy and intense moments of my life," she said. "It is the sensation of having a gift. I have a reason for living my life.”
Personnel:
- Dulce Pontes, vocals, piano
- Amadeu Mgalhaes, Flute, braguesa guitar, acoustic guitar (nylon), bagpipe
- Lopes da Graca, oboe
- Davide Zacharia, cello, acoustic bass
- Beto Betuk, percussion, cajón, udu, drums
- Jose Soares, acoustic guitar (nylon)
- Filipe Lucas, Portugese guitar
- Paulo Feiteira, acoustic guitar (steel)
Tim and Nancy Howes
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