Guarda-me a Vida - CD

ENGLISH

The music we call fado is an old music, unique to Portugal. Part of a long musical tradition, the Lisbon fado is as integral a part of the city's character and culture as its history, religion and language. Ana Moura is one of the finest of a new generation of wonderful young fadistas (fado singers) that is responsible for the explosive resurgence in popularity of this hauntingly lovely song form, not only in Portugal itself, but throughout Europe, the Americas, even Asia. Ana Moura follows in the tradition of the great singers of earlier generations such as Amalia Rodrigues, but her music is in no sense derivative. She is a serious student of the fado and, while she loves the traditional forms, in Guarda me a vida na mão she has totally made them her own, with superb modern arrangements performed by some of today's most prominent fado musicians-all very gifted performers in their own right. Moura, whose deep, rich, contralto voice is as radiant as her face, also performs a number of the newer fados, most by undoubtedly this generation's finest young composer of fado, Jorge Fernando, who, himself a talented guitarist and performer, is responsible for the arrangements on this collection. While all the performances are excellent, a number of them are exceptional. The final selection is a particular delight, splendidly performed a capella, and followed by what can only be described as a "family chorus" in the background, concluding in a rich tapestry of guitar. This is truly a collection to be savored.