New Album coming soon

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"Barco Negro" is a *Fado Canção* that originated as "Mãe Preta," a song by Caco Velho and Piratini from the 1930s. The original lyrics were a sharp critique of colonial oppression, particularly slavery, and were censored by the PIDE (International Police and State Defense) under the regime of Portuguese dictator António de Oliveira Salazar. In 1955, with the release of Henri Verneuil's film *Les Amants du Tage*, the song was rewritten by David Mourão-Ferreira. The new version tells the story of a woman fearing that her lover no longer desires her. Renamed *Barco Negro*, this reinterpretation achieved international fame, largely thanks to the iconic fado singer Amália Rodrigues, who recorded the song.

The decision to arrange this piece was a personal tribute to my parents, who immigrated to Switzerland in the 1980s because during the first waves of emigration, families were often separated, as husbands were typically the first to be allowed to leave. The lyrics of *Barco Negro* resonate with a universal experience: the pain of departure, distance, and the particular fear of losing a loved one.

For my arrangement, I chose to use two guitars, inspired by Amália Rodrigues' rendition. Replacing the voice with the guitars allowed me to reimagine the song’s harmonic structure and explore new interpretations. Additionally, I incorporated elements from Caco Velho and Piratini’s version, blending Brazilian influences with the distinctive sounds of the Portuguese guitar and the classical guitar to create a fusion of colors and identities.

"Uma Casa Portuguesa" is undoubtedly one of the most famous Fado melodies. I chose to play with the meaning of the title, which literally translates to "a Portuguese house." The lyrics describe the most iconic aspects of a traditional Portuguese home. However, for my arrangement, I wanted to approach the lyrics from a different perspective, introducing the viewpoint of a young child, the son of an immigrant, who questions whether his home is truly a Portuguese house or a Swiss one.  

As I mentioned earlier, being the son of an immigrant, I often struggled to figure out where I truly belonged. At home, I spoke Portuguese with my family, and Portuguese culture was all around me. But at school, I spoke French, learned to read and write in French, and my friends were all French-speaking, so I was adapting to a different culture. I knew my classmates felt the same way. They spoke French with me, but at home, it was Spanish, Italian, German, English, or Albanian. When I visited their homes, I experienced other cultures and habits. Deep down, I knew they all had the same question: "Do I belong more to my home culture or to the school culture?" And they also wondered when visiting family: "Do you feel more Swiss or more from here?" 

This question always made me uncomfortable, as I never knew how to answer. At school, I was "the Portuguese," but with my aunts and uncles, I was "the Swiss." From these reflections, I developed the central theme of my arrangement: I belong completely to both. The album will feature a version of "Uma Casa Portuguesa" that blends Swiss-inspired tunes with the original melody. 

My identity is shaped by this blend of cultures and interactions, which has given me a sense of empathy and openness toward everything around me. It would be unfair—and even dangerous, in my view—to define myself by a percentage of belonging. In our globalized society, it's essential to value, understand, and listen to these traditions. Forgetting or dividing them would be equally harmful. The beauty of this mix lies in these differences that listen to and respect each other. To reflect this idea, my arrangement is built around two themes that complement and support each other through a subtle counterpoint: the main theme of "Uma Casa Portuguesa" is enriched by a counterpoint inspired by a Genevan theme, "Cé qu'è lainô".