Queridos Amigos,
apesar de ainda não ter conseguido partilhar convosco os acontecimentos das últimas semanas, deixo aqui a crítica publicada sobre o nosso concerto em Calcutá, o segundo desta primeira viagem à India, realizado dia 29 de Outubro!
Joana at the ICCR
The charisma also strayed into the quartet«O Joana - Fado-tastic!
Joana Amendoeira cast a magic on the audience at Rabindranath Tagore Centre, ICCR, recently
By Sidharth Seal
Posted On Friday, November 06, 2009 at 07:13:52 PM
Inspirational, sensational, stupendous - such adjectives pale in comparison to the musical performance, which was the first of its kind in the city as well as the country. Joana Amendoeira, a new generation fado singer performed at the Rabindranath Tagore Centre, ICCR, recently. The event was organised in collaboration with the Embassy of Portugal.
For those unfamiliar with the term fado, it is Portuguese for fate or destiny. This form of music is considered one of the oldest forms of urban folk music. Fado is supposed to be a form of music mainly characterised by mournful tones and lyrics. The theme is generally associated with the sea or the poor, but Joana sings on a more contemporary note, which is why her songs were homage to Portuguese poets, its history, the soul and the mind.
With every available seat occupied, Joana walked in wearing a beautiful fiery orange dress with her quartets dressed in black, the traditional outfit for fado musicians. The quartet consisted of contrabass, violinist; acoustic guitar and a Portuguese guitarist who mesmerised the crowd.
Those who were skeptical had all doubts erased from their minds. Her voice was magical and it was matched with a similar persona. Young, old and all those present were completely captivated by her charm. Her charisma touched every inch of that auditorium and etched an impression on every single individual’s mind.
The charisma was not just limited to the singer’s powerful vocals but also strayed into the quartet. There were mini performances by members of the quartet especially by the Portuguese guitarist who had the crowd to the brim with exclamations of wow as well as several rounds of deserving claps.
The audience was not severed from the performance as she got them involved too. Dehnaz, an insurance advisor, said, “I really enjoyed the show. It was just so lively and the music was so soulful. I loved her powerful voice.” Praises poured in from the youth too. Koel Bhattarcharya, English student, Jadavpur University, said, “It was a mesmerising display of emotions. The music touched my heart. I have completely understood the concept of ‘saudade’.”
The essence of fado is that it is connected with the concept of ‘saudade’ which refers to the feeling that one has when they are sentimental, missing someone who was crucial in one’s life like a lost lover or a loved one who has gone missing.
She performed 17 numbers as well an additional number on a request. Even though the language was foreign, everyone seemed to understand the language of music. Joana greeted the crowd with a namaste that took the audience by surprise. She was very interactive and followed every song with a dhynavaad.
When asked how it was being in Kolkata, she said, “I am very happy to have performed here. It was better than expected. Music is a universal language, I hope people understood what I sang, and more still the feeling.” When asked whether she has listened to any Indian music, she said, “I have heard some but not a lot of it. In future, I would definitely like to record a song in Hindi.”
Photo: Prabir Bhattacharya
kolkata.mirror@gmail.com»,
in KOLKATA MIRROR.com.
