Program
At the center are five voices from Lisbon’s young fado scene: guitarist, composer, and producer Diogo de Castro brings the ensemble together and opens the tradition to new works. Alongside him, Tomás Pauseiro shapes the bright core sound on the Portuguese guitar. Singer Carolina Varela Ribeiro, who grew up with fado, combines her own poetry with classics of the genre. Manuel da Silva anchors the pulse on acoustic bass, while João da Silva adds colorful melodic lines on the violin.Fado tells of longing, the city, and the night: one voice, two guitars, and a deep pulse. In this project, the tradition is carefully opened up. Original compositions stand alongside classical forms, with improvised interludes linking verse and refrain. The Portuguese guitar forms the sparkling core, the classical guitar weaves the counterpoint, and the bass breathes expansiveness. Unusual is the violin as a second “narrator”—a new color that sets saudade in motion.