Fado, the Spirit of Portugal

Cláudia Madur: vocals
Mario Henriques: Portuguese guitar
Daniel Paredes: classical guitar

A unique musical tradition from the western edge of the Mediterranean comes to embellish the first September nights at the Axiothea Mansion, bringing the distinctive feelings of nostalgia, longing, pain, happiness and love that are embodied in fado music and can be summarized with the Portuguese word saudade.

Fado, the famous music genre that is now considered the soul of Portugal and has been recognized by UNESCO as part of the intangible heritage of humanity, developed in the early 19th century but has earlier roots, having emerged, according to many researchers, as a fusion between the music of African slaves and the traditional music of Portuguese sailors, enriched with some Arabic elements.

This mixture of Portuguese and colonial influences grew out of the popular bars in Lisbon’s working-class districts of Alfama and Mouraria, and flourished in similar social conditions to those that gave rise to the rebetiko at the eastern edge of the Mediterranean – a coincidence, which confirms once again the common features of Mediterranean culture.

The unique tradition of fado will be presented by the young and very promising fadista from Portugal Cláudia Madur with the accompaniment of Portuguese guitar and classical guitar, the quintessential instruments of fado.

The trio, which comes to Cyprus for the first time upon a special invitation by the Cultural Centre of the University of Cyprus, will perform traditional fado songs about fate and destiny – key themes of this tender and intensely emotional music, as well as songs belonging to the most cheerful, melodically and rhythmically, kind of fado, the Fado Canção.