words: Raquel Pinheiro; photos: Manuela Matos Monteiro & Raquel Pinheiro; video: Manuela Matos Monteiro
Canções de Resistência a celebratory gathering part of Galerias Mira 10th anniversary were a joyful soulfilling evening of collective singing, on stage and on the audience, at times merged as a single voice
Twenty one songs, from seven different countries, five languages. From folk songs which beginnings trace back to the unknown or the XIX century to an assortment of key XX century songs. If the night was cold, dark and rainy, hearts and voices were strong, bright, warm, defient, loud or gentle depending of what the words called for, hopeful.
You can hear us all, choir and audience, sing We Hall Overcome – lon the video above – with passion and emotion in a room so full it spilled over to the street so many of us came for the ride. What you cannot hear or see is the downpours that, at times, would bring a shimmering sound into the back of the room, adding another sound and sensory layer to the performance.
There is a lot to be said about a room filled with humans singing along, content, joined by a mutual unspoken, sang, understanding. Many of us think we cannot sing, so out of fashion singing become in our daily lives. For the most part, we can all sing, hum, clap, be rhythmic, rock our bodies. Instrumentation, mostly acoustic guitar, but also double bass, electric bass at its most simple and gentle flute, was generally minimal. An accompaniment to the voices. If the all evening was a pleasure, it was a double plessure for me, after many decades, to re-met composer and songwriter João Lóio – musical director of Canções de Resistência – who was a a key figure of my childhood.
Canções de Resistência no Mira:Choir: Ana Afonso, Ana Ribeiro, Fernando Mota, Guilhermino Monteiro, Inês Salsedas, João Lafuente, João Lóio, Luísa Calado, Manuel Salsedas, Octávio Fonseca, Pedro Ramajal, Regina CastroSound: Carlos Rocha Musical Direction: João LóioProgramming & production: Acúrcio Monteiro, Armando Dourado
Libreto:
Maio Maduro Maio (José Afonso, Portugal); Para Não Dizer Que Não Falei Das Flores (Geraldo Vandré, Brazil); Ay, Carmela (XIX century Spanish folk song, Spain); Se Me Quieres Escribir (Spain); Por Trás Daquela Janela (José Afonso, Portugal); Comprade Juan Miguel (Alfredo Zitarrosa, Uruguay); We Shall Overcome (Pete Seager, United States); Canción Para Mi América (Daniel Viglietti, Uruguay;) La Complainte Du Partisan (Emmanuel d’Astier de lá Vigerie, France); Morte E Vida Severina (João Cabral de Melo Neto, Brazil); Benditos (José Afonso, Portugal); Milonga Del Fusilado (Carlos Maria Gutiérrez, Uruguay); Which Side Are You On (Florence Reese, United States); Canta Camarada (José Afonso from a traditional Portuguese song, Portugal); Canción Del Minero (Victor Jara, Chile); El Pueblo Unido (Sérgio Ortega & Quilapayún,, Chile); Strange Fruit (Abel Meeropol as Lewis Allan, United States); La Lega (XIX century Italian folk song, Italy); Todo Cambia (Castillo “Mudanza” & Julio Numhauser, Chile); Construção (Chico Buarque, Brazil) / Operário Em Construção (Vinicius de Moraes, Brazil); Bella Ciao (Italian folk song c. late XIX century, Italy)
Mondo Bizarre Magazine 