Mariza is back
On stage she towers, holding the audience through the force of her magnificent voice and her charismatic presence. Slender and with cropped bleached blond hair, Portuguese sensation Mariza fills the Concert Hall at the Opera House even without a microphone or backing instruments.
Mariza sings fado, a traditional Portuguese form of folk music born in the brothels and cafes of Lisbon in the 18th century. Literally meaning fate, fado is said to be the oldest urban folk music in the world and is the emotional cousin of blues, tango and flamenco.
The soulful singer first made an impact here when she performed at the Opera House during the 2006 Festival of Sydney and was welcomed with standing ovations and enthusiastic applause. She came back the next year and now returns with a five-piece band on October 5 for one concert only in the Concert Hall.
“I’m very excited to be back. The Sydney Opera House is one of my favourite places to sing. I love to play in Australia and I will be very happy to present my new album Terra.”
Always surprised that people so far away from her home are listening to her music, Mariza hopes they will like her fourth album which has been nominated for Best Folk Album and Best Producer at the Latin Grammy Awards.
Terra is the product of eight years of touring.
“I love it. It’s an album made with many friends. There are different songs from all over the world but my roots will still be evident,” she said.
“I was not looking to make a popular or a commercially successful album. The artists who worked with me on this decided to help me because they believed we could make good music together. We have so much in common so when we have the chance we’re happy to work together because the music flows.”
Born in Mozambique but brought up in Portugal where her parents ran restaurants in Alfama, Lisbon’s traditional neighbourhood, Mariza sang for the diners as a teenager. She hit the limelight when she re-introduced fado to a new generation of music lovers in 2001. Her modern guitar-based fado is infused with influences of folk, flamenco guitar, Cape Verdean morna and even Cuban jazz.
And although she sings only in Portuguese – except for a magnificent rendition of “Summertime”, the song her band uses to warm up in rehearsals and which she occasionally performs on stage – there is no mistaking the emotion in those songs.
“I don’t think about language and I don’t worry about whether people will understand me,” she said.
“I do what is the most important thing for me which is to sing. It’s like breathing.”
Her mother’s homeland, Mozambique, still has a powerful influence on her music.
“I go to Africa a lot and that makes me feel things in a different way. I like to feel influences inside my music.”
That approach has won her many prestigious awards, including Best European Act at the BBC World Music Awards and Portugal’s illustrious Personality of the Year Award. She was the 2005 UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and recently received the Medaille de Vermeil from the Paris Academy of Arts, Sciences and Letters. More information at mariza.com
Mariza performs at 8pm on Monday, October 5 in the Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House. Book: 9250 7777 or online at sydneyoperahouse.com
