The Bottom Line
Mariza is known as a thrilling live performer, and it seems clear that she responds to the audience as powerfully as they respond to her. The live album medium seems ideal for such an artist, and with Concerto em Lisboa, Mariza delivers what is undoubtedly the finest album of her still-young (though internationally renowned) career. The accompanying DVD is both full of fascinating historical information about fado music, as well as an inside look at Mariza herself, who comes across as humble, kind and incredibly down-to-earth.
Pros
- Excellent live recording quality.
- Over an hour of music plus an hour-long DVD - great bang for your buck!
- Intensely powerful vocals backed by brilliant instrumentals.
Cons
- Nada
Description
- Recorded in front of 25,000 people.
- Mariza is backed by her own band as well as the Lisbon Symphony Orchestra.
- Accompanying DVD illuminates the history of fado music.
Guide Review - Mariza - Concerto Em Lisboa
A great live CD should have the same feeling of a great concert, capturing the building intensity of both the musicians and the audience and roaring into a fervent climax. When that live CD is fado, an incredibly impassioned style of music, it's even more necessary for the fervor to be there, or the CD isn't good. Luckily, Mariza's Concerto Em Lisboa comes through, even more acutely than I had hoped.
The CD grabs you right from the beginning, with the sound of thousands of people clapping leading into a fiery Portuguese guitar duet. Then Mariza's voice cuts through, enchanting the listener and holding on until the very end. The Portuguese have a word, saudade which cannot be translated but refers to a painful bittersweet nostalgia, and this album will leave you with that feeling. Whether or not you speak Portuguese, the sadness of the songs transcends language boundaries, yet the beauty of the music is invigorating. Song highlights include the powerful opening song, "Loucoura", the upbeat "Maria Lisboa", and the classic Amalia Rodrigues ballad "O Gente Da Minha Terra".
The CD also comes with an accompanying DVD, an hour-long documentary called Mariza and the Story of Fado. The documentary was produced by the BBC and includes massive amounts of historical information about fado as well as an inside look at Mariza's life and her passion for the music. It's an incredibly well-made and informative film that covers not only the musicological aspects of fado, but the historical context as well.
November 6, 2006
The CD grabs you right from the beginning, with the sound of thousands of people clapping leading into a fiery Portuguese guitar duet. Then Mariza's voice cuts through, enchanting the listener and holding on until the very end. The Portuguese have a word, saudade which cannot be translated but refers to a painful bittersweet nostalgia, and this album will leave you with that feeling. Whether or not you speak Portuguese, the sadness of the songs transcends language boundaries, yet the beauty of the music is invigorating. Song highlights include the powerful opening song, "Loucoura", the upbeat "Maria Lisboa", and the classic Amalia Rodrigues ballad "O Gente Da Minha Terra".
The CD also comes with an accompanying DVD, an hour-long documentary called Mariza and the Story of Fado. The documentary was produced by the BBC and includes massive amounts of historical information about fado as well as an inside look at Mariza's life and her passion for the music. It's an incredibly well-made and informative film that covers not only the musicological aspects of fado, but the historical context as well.
November 6, 2006
