On June 16, the VoixMonde concert series, which presents traditional music of Montreal’s immigrant communities, continued with a performance of Portuguese fado at le 9e (Eaton Centre). Literally translated to “destiny,” or “fate,” fado songs evoke a sense of longing and nostalgia in listeners.
What you missed
As singer Suzi Silva sang of lost mariners, and the lovers who longed for them, the audience was immersed in the atmosphere of a salty seaside Portuguese tavern. She artfully described the content of each song’s lyrics before performing them, and was a very effective storyteller for this music. As a singer, she thrived in particularly wordy passages in her native tongue, and captivated the audience with her rapid-fire and impassioned Portuguese delivery.
Silva’s voice was certainly stronger in the low notes, and its velvety delivery is well suited to music traditionally performed in bars, restaurants, and more intimate venues. While I can’t fault her for not being an opera singer—as she certainly doesn’t claim that title—I nevertheless found myself wincing at the intonation of some high notes, and found her narrow vibrato at phrase endings somewhat limiting in expressive range.
José Brites, Rodrigo Simões, Ziya Tabassian & Suzi Silva. Photo: Peter Graham
Overall, though, the ensemble achieved a harmonious and unified blend, one well suited to the smaller concert venue. José Brites’s finger-work on the Portuguese guitar was controlled, precise, and quite riveting to behold. His narrower tone was well bolstered by Rodrigo Simões’s accompaniment, whose rich, resonant sound on the seven-string classical guitar was an understated highlight of the concert. Artistic Director Ziya Tabassian’s percussion was languid and assured, well suited to the variety of global music traditions he performs in.
While certainly not a ground-breaking musical experience, the concert still effectively accomplished what it had set out to do. The final song, which set Jean-Pierre Bérubé’s Pour toi to a fado arrangement, evoked a sense of collective memory in the audience, who left with that elusive feeling of nostalgia best evoked by song.
Upcoming concerts at 9e Musique @ 17h:
- September 1: HausMusique: Spain
- September 15: Art Choral Jazz
- October 6: Voix Monde: AfroClassique
