O SOM DO FADO: VOYAGE AU CŒUR DU PORTUGAL

Let yourself be transported to the heart of Portugal by the plaintive sounds of fado, at Le Balcon.

Portugal’s signature musical genre, fado, literally “fate” or “destiny,” is a mournful and poignant expression of saudade—the feeling of longing for something that was lost or never attained. Originating in the cafés and bars of Lisbon’s working-class neighbourhoods in the early 19th century, fado is characterized by passionate vocals and plucked string instruments. The songs of fado became Portugal’s unofficial national anthem under Salazar’s dictatorship, and fado is now included in UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists.

Le Balcon invites you to an evening of soul-stirring sounds with Portuguese-born artist Suzi Silva, who made her musical debut at the age of 11 in a local “house of fado.” Today, her fado is influenced by many different types of music—both contemporary and traditional, from Portugal and elsewhere—and is inflected with jazz, which she studied in Portugal and in Montreal. Silva will be performing from her album Fad’AZZ, including the song “Fado Mestiço – Amanhã,” for which she won the Traditional Performance award at the 2018 International Portuguese Music Awards (IPMA).