I went to see Madredeus in concert at the Royal Festival Hall last night. Oh boy! Add this experience to the list of those that provide comfort in this insane times.
Madredeus play a modern take on the traditional Portuguese "fado" folk song, which seems to consist mostly of very mournful, very beautiful tunes, sung in a plaintive, beseeching voice. The line-up is two classical guitars, acoustic bass, keyboards and a singer. Their appearance is almost comically "square", so much so that they come full circle and look ineffably cool: four middle-aged men in black suit-and-tie combos and an ethereal woman, dressed in black from neck to toe. They looked like the designated mourners at a slightly arty funeral. They make no concessions to any linguistic limitations in the audience, apart from a few introductory explanations in English from the singer, Theresa Salgueiro; although many of the audience were Portuguese speakers, I must have been one among many hundreds of people who understood not one single word of the concert! The last time this happened to me was when I saw The Women of the Bulgarian State Radio Choir (aka Le Mystere Des Voix Bulgares) a few years ago; then as now, it didn't matter. The music is as gorgeous as could be: the instrumental backdrops they create are subtle, tasteful (in the best sense of the word) and mellifluous, providing an air cushion for Salgueiro's voice, which is stunningly expressive and powerful. Her voice did take a while to grow on me on record (I found the timbre slightly keening), but I've come to love it - and in concert she was compelling, as they all were. No dance routines: they stood or sat stock-still throughout, except for a bit of gentle swaying from the singer in the few up-tempo numbers. The audience sounded as if they were holding their breath throughout. It was unlike any concerty I've been to. If you get a chance, go and see them. Azeem in London NP: Rae & Christian- Sleepwalking
