Sérgio Godinho, icon of Portuguese music and culture, celebrates its 75th anniversary with 4 dates at Teatro Maria Matos
[dropcap]S[/dropcap]érgio Godinho started a series of concerts at the Teatro Maria Matos, in Lisbon to celebrate his 75th anniversary. Initially, it would be just a single concert on August 31st, but the rush for tickets and the great demand resulted in the addition of three more dates: September 1st, 15th, and 21st.
Sérgio Godinho was born in Porto, in 1945, and is considered one of the renovators of Portuguese music for the past 50 years. He studied psychology in Geneva for two years, is also a theater actor, and began to practice writing songs in the late 1960s, with his first album, “Os Sobreviventes”, from 1971, followed by another 30 edited, the last being “Nação Valente”, from 2018.
“Nação Valente” brought us back to the comfort and restlessness that Sérgio Godinho has provided us throughout his career. But it still transports us to poetic and musical territories in some way unheard of in the singer’s work.
Despite being known mainly for music, Sérgio Godinho has channeled creative writing into other genres, such as theater, screenplay, children’s fiction, poetry, and short stories, in titles such as “O Pequeno Livro dos Medos”, “O Sangue por Um Fio” e “Vida Dupla”.
The concert on the 31st of August to celebrate 75 years at the Maria Matos Theater in Lisbon marked, after months of absence, the return of Sérgio to the stages, the place where he really feels at home.
The concert started at 9 pm with the sound of “À Vezes O Amor” and accompanying Sérgio Godinho were on stage Nuno Rafael on the guitars, percussion, choirs and in charge of musical direction, Miguel Fevereiro on the guitars, percussion, and choirs, João Cardoso on the keyboard and choir, Nuno Espírito Santo on the electric bass and percussion, and Sérgio Nascimento on the drums and percussion.
The concert was filled with newer and older songs that reflect a long artistic career, we heard “O Novo Normal“, a song that Sérgio wrote during the quarantine about this new normality that we all had to adapt, “Cuidado com as Imitações” from the album “Campolide” from 1979, “Benvindo Sr. Presidente” from the album “Lupa” from 2000, “Mariana Pais, 21 Anos” from the album “Nação Valente” of 2018 that he dedicated to José Mário Branco, a great artist and friend of Sérgio who passed away in November last year.
Sérgio dedicated “Dancemos no Mundo” to all the refugees from the Moria camp that burned in Greece, where many people and families are still without shelter.
We also heard “Tipo Contrafação” and “Grão Da same Mó” from his latest album, “Espectáculo” from 1979, originally sung with the band Clã, “Coro das Velhas” from the album “Salão de Festas” from 1984, “O Fugitivo” from the album “Na Vida Real” from 1986, “Liberdade” from the 1974 album “À Queima-Roupas“, and “Balada da Rita” from the album “Pano-cru” from 1978.
With a full house, the Maria Matos Theater did not let Sérgio Godinho leave so easily, after a standing ovation given by the audience, the artist returned to the encore with his version of “Tudo No Amor“, a song he wrote for the band Clã, “Lisboa Que Amanhece” from the 1986 album, and “Com Um Brilhozinho Nos Olhos” from the 1981 album “Canto da Boca“.
“Seventy-five years, a beautiful date to celebrate, especially if your health has generally remained close by.
I wanted a big party this year, until an animal intruded and turned over our masks. The mask is now real.
So, what to do? This is where music comes in as a great caregiver, who was really present when I wrote narrative fiction.
And this is where Maria Matos comes in, where I was at nine-thirty, on five happy days.
At the age of 75 I am back, this time at 21. With my advising friends, to challenge fear and silence. And the friends ahead, responding to the turn.
It’s my birthday, in the normal new year, so what?
Let there be music! ”Sérgio Godinho
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[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”463″ gal_title=”Sérgio Godinho at Maria Matos 15/09/2020″]
