Raquel Tavares celebrates a triumph

Our Fado star Raquel Tavares’ first concerts in Germany have been a resounding success. In Salmen in Offenburg and in the theatre in Worms, where she appeared with her ensemble at the beginning of May, her rapturous audience leapt to their feet to give the young artist and her three musicians a standing ovation.

Stefan Franzen, journalist for Jazzthing, writes in the Badische Zeitung: “The show’s name, Bairro, means neighbourhood. This is a reference to the neighbourhood in which Tavares grew up and which happens to be the very one in which Fado emerged. So she is literally rooted in Fado. Similarly, although she has already performed on stages in Paris, Rome and Madrid, she remains very rooted – personable and down-to-earth.” He goes on: “Her voice is earthy, mature and resolute, and yet intertwined with tender, arabesque curves and loops. With the elegant composure of her voice alone Tavares guides her accompanying trio into a pause, at other times leading them with a mere gesture from leisurely-paced passages to more lively rhythms. From the very beginning she has her audience eating out of her hand, repeatedly drawing us in with a bold look or a coquette glance.”

Gottfried Wiedemer continues: “One can’t help with the ‘lads’ (the musicians) as they throw themselves laughing and with renewed zeal into the music after a heart-breaking fermata. The biggest applause was for a Guitarrada, a jazzy interlude with galloping variations.” And later he writes: “Fadistas live from their singing, and that is what Raquel Tavares does. Although still so young, her soul is fully Fado, singing her way into the hearts of every listener. As long as she doesn’t bur herself out with constant touring, she could be one of the greats.”

In the Worms newspaper Gunther Weigand writes: “She clenches her fists, reaches out to the sky or sashays flirtatiously to the side when singing about seduction. But it’s with her voice that she ultimately wins over the hearts of the audience. Tavares’ voice can be raw and guttural, the next minute switching to something as soft and sleek as velvet – her flexibility is astonishing.”                                               

In January 2012, Raquel Tavares and her Fado ensemble will be on tour again.