FADOS - new project coming soon
What if fado and classical guitar met over a glass of wine?
FADOS is a tribute to all the Portuguese who left Portugal because the situation under the Salazar regime and in the post-dictatorship era did not afford them the means to ensure a decent quality of life. The decision to leave and seek a new home, or at least try, was made very quickly. For some it was a definitive farwell, for others a temporary goodbye, and for a few, a constant doubt whether the return would happen or not. By arranging this series of songs made famous worldwide by the fado diva, Amália Rodrigues, I seek to tell the stores and emotions that these individuals may have felt. Deeper and more intimate themes are highlighted, such as the question of cultural identity and integration, as well as the «saudade » for the homeland.
This project is also a way for me to open up the debate on identity and immigration, themes closely linked to recent Swiss history. As the son of immigrant parents, I have often had to face dilemmas between my parents' culture, Portugal, and that of the country that welcomed them in the 80s, Switzerland. By integrating these topics into my album, I hope to raise public awareness of the notion of "multiple-identity" and how important it is to understand this concept at a time when extreme right-wing extremism is on the rise throughout Europe. We are living in a crucial moment in which society needs to redefine the notion of "identity" in order to reduce racist and discriminatory comments.
Having received a rather classical musical education, I also felt the need to innovate in the guitar repertoire. The guitar is a relatively recent instrument compared with other instrument families, having been around for around 150 years. As a result, pieces originally written for the classical guitar are rare, and guitarists are often limited in the choice of repertoire they can play in concert.
The world of the guitar is constantly evolving and, over the last twenty years, the classical guitar has become very popular with composers, as it has proved its ability and agility to travel between classical and popular music, whether from the Balkans, South America, the Iberian Peninsula or the Middle East. Through the union of the guitar with Fado, the soul of Portuguese music, "FADOS" aims to offer a new repertoire for the classical guitar, developing an unexplored approach to the instrument's technique and timbre.
"Tiago's arrangements are, in my opinion, deeply personal, reflecting his ties to the Fado tradition while simultaneously presenting his unique artistic story. His arrangements are stylistically well-informed, capturing the essence of Fado music while making it accessible and expressive on the classical guitar. This wonderful blend of tradition and innovation has resulted in arrangements that are not only unique, original, and perfectly suitable for the instrument but are also quite important and valuable for the classical guitar repertoire." - Vojin Kocic.
What is fado?
It is difficult, if not impossible, to explain in a few words what Fado is. As Amália Rodrigues said: "O fado é um mistério. Nunca ninguém vai conguir explicá-lo!" - "Fado is a mystery. No one will ever be able to explain it!". But let's try to put it into words.
Fado is sung by singers called "Fadistas" who are accompanied by two instruments, the Portuguese guitar which flirts with the voice while the "viola de fado" provides rhythmic and harmonic accompaniment. But what makes Fado so unique? Fado is a pure and sincere expression of the deepest emotions emanating from the lyrics, and here lies the duty of the fadista, to convey the character of the lyrics through his voice in the most legitimate way. Melancholy, sadness, nostalgia and "saudade" are omnipresent themes in this music.
"A Saudade é a poesia do Fado". - Saudade is the poetry of Fado" - Fernando Pessoa
After a few glasses of red wine...
Project conceptualization and creative process
When I arrived at Zurich University of the Arts in 2019, I found a suitable place to develop my ideas. With the support of Anders Miolin and Vojin Kocic, I started to play, on my guitar, the famous themes by Amália Rodrigues while immersing myself in Portuguese guitar techniques. I soon realized that there was an interesting path to be discovered in the meeting of these two worlds.
One of the first questions I asked myself concerned the choice of repertoire: what kind of fado would I arrange, and how could I determine whether a particular fado would go well with classical guitar?
To this end, I turned my attention to "Fado Tradicional" and "Fado Canção", two major fado families.
Fado Tradicional is a kind of Fado that is spontaneous, thanks to the improvisation of the Portuguese guitar and the originality of the texts sung by the fadists (singers). Its adaptation for the classical guitar is complicated, if not impossible. Indeed, this music exists only through the creativity of the fadists, who, once they have written their text and without prior rehearsal, invite the resident musicians of the fado houses to bring the lyrics to life. Fado Tradicional" is a momentary thing that happens only once.
However, this intimate and creative approach to "Fado Tradicional" led me to mix this style of fado with "Fado Canção", whose characteristics make it easier to arrange for the classical guitar. The "Fado Canção" can be defined as a song with verses and a chorus to which the fado player must always remain faithful. His role is mainly to interpret, not to write. For me, it's easier to arrange these kinds of familiar melodies and modify them slightly, inlaying new elements linked to the theme of cultural identity, as can be seen in the examples given above.
So, by mixing the philosophy of "Fado Tradicional" with that of "Fado Canção" and adding the above-mentioned themes, I challenge this musical genre that is so deeply linked to the Portuguese soul, and takes the liberty of highlighting an important point in Portuguese history: emigration.