The Other Side of Fado
Most well-heeled travelers headed to Lisbon will have heard about our brand of local folk music called Fado, meaning "Fate". Formally recognized in the 19th century and UNESCO-protected as “Intangible Heritage” today, the music is filled with melancholy and deep emotional longing, and evokes the multicultural influences that have shaped contemporary Portuguese culture over the centuries. Its roots are in the islands of West Africa, carrying melodies influenced by Arabo-Hispanic troubadours with a residue of Ladino influences from Sephardic communities. In recent decades, scores of music lovers have been seduced by Fadistas like Amália Rodrigues, known as the "Rainha do Fado" (Queen of Fado), who cemented her position in the international World Music circuits until her passing in 1999. Today, performers like Mariza are packing theaters around the world, seduced by her reinvented Fado, while Cristina Branco and Ana Moura represent a new generation of talented Fado i...