Mariza @ Strathmore
Raised in Lisbon, Mariza, the daughter of Mozambican and Portuguese parents, is the reigning queen of a traditional style of Portuguese music called fado. After just a few notes of her show at The Music Center at Strathmore last night, it was obvious why she has garnered international acclaim as one of the world's finest vocalists. Over the course of her performance, she proved that talent, passion, and emotion will connect any form of music to any audience, language barriers or a listener's lack of exposure to a musical form notwithstanding.
Mariza's voice, which is nothing short of marvelous, is the perfect instrument for this music because fado, as a style, focuses on melancholy as its primary emotional expression. Her delivery is rich and expressive at any dynamic level or tempo and the sheer outpouring of emotion with which she performs conveys the essence of the lyrics and makes the language in which they are sung almost irrelevant. Mariza's stage presence was equally layered in that it was theatrical, engaging, melodramatic and sometimes funny, but throughout it remained heartfelt and authentic. Her performance last night was only augmented by the virtuosic accompaniment of her band, which featured Luis Guerreiro on Portuguese guitar, Antonio Neto on classical guitar, Vasco Sousa on acoustic bass guitar, and a percussionist who provided an extra rhythmic push for only a handful of songs.
Image from Mariza's website
The visual aspect of last night's concert was also one of its most memorable, largely due to the striking appearance of the vocalist. Tall and thin, with her trademark short blonde hair and wearing a long black gown, Mariza glided and danced across the stage, and even through the audience at one point, with grace and ease. The stage itself was barren, save the seated backing band and their instruments, while the back of the stage was covered with a simple black cloth that served as a screen for muted colored projections. The lighting design was equally unobtrusive and gently enhanced the overall listening experience.
The set focused on slower, more mournful songs, but it was peppered with some uptempo material. Last night's sizeable audience was a healthy mix of typical suburbanites with a significant number of native Portuguese, all of whom recognized and applauded the traditional fado songs and artists to whom Mariza paid homage. Unfortunately, those references went over our heads, but there were still familiar sounds within the music. Given Portugal's location on the Iberian Peninsula, and Lisbon's historic role as a major port, it was no surprise that one could hear elements of flamenco, North African, and even classical European music. To open her encore she even delivered a heart-wrenching interpretation of Gershwin's "Summertime," or "American fado," as she jokingly called it.
Fado is sometimes referred to as the "Portuguese blues," and this comparison is quite apposite. The blues is an art form that rests on the notion that artistic expression of suffering ultimately leads to catharsis and empowerment. One might say the same thing about Mariza's performance because while most of the songs were laments, the audience felt elated enough to give her several standing ovations and we all left the hall with smiles on our faces.