January 2021 Mariza Program Book

MARIZA SINGS AMÁLIA JANUARY 29, 2021 2020/2021 Concert Season

2O14/2O15 CONCERT SERIES

Founded in 1943, UChicago Presents brings extraordinary artists from around the world for dynamic live performances, educational experiences, and community engagement through a diverse mix of chamber music and recitals, early, contemporary, jazz, and world music, including artist residencies, commissions, and premieres. Concerts feature pre- or post-event talks led by University of Chicago scholars and are performed in treasured campus venues such as Mandel Hall, Rockefeller Chapel, and the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts.

Heralded by the Chicago Tribune as “a model of what a classical concert series should be,” and “the city’s most important by a mile chamber music series” by the Chicago Sun-Times, UChicago Presents has been dedicated to presenting music on an intimate scale at the highest level since its inception. The pursuit of excellence is central to this mission, infusing not only UChicago Presents’ music but also its relationship with its audience and community. b

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St. Lawrence String Quartet

Click on any of the hyperlinks embedded throughout the program for more information from the UChicago Presents website.

~Nois

Axiom Brass

Seth Parker Woods

WINTER 2021 VIRTUAL EVENTS b FRI / JAN 15 / 7:00 PM

Ohrwurm: Tabea Debus, recorder, and Alon Sariel, lute

b FRI / JAN 22 / 7:00 PM

The Jazz Gallery All-Stars

b FRI / JAN 29 / 7:00 PM

Mariza Sings Amália

b FRI / FEB 5 / 7:00 PM

b FRI / FEB 19 / 7:00 PM

~Nois

b FRI / FEB 26 / 7:00 PM

b FRI / MAR 5 / 7:00 PM

Haydn Discovery: St. Lawrence String Quartet

SOUND/SITES: Seth Parker Woods, cello

Axiom Brass

b FRI / MAR 12 / 7:00 PM

Miniatures: Members of the Grossman Ensemble

FRIDAY, JANUARY 29, 2021 / 7:00 PM / ONLINE

MARIZA Mariza, vocals Luís Guerreiro, Portuguese guitarra Phelipe Ferreira, acoustic guitar Adriano Alves, bass guitar João Frade, accordion Tiago Machado, piano João Freitas, drums and percussion

Mariza Sings Amália Program to be announced from the stage.

Presented in partnership with The Town Hall New York, Arden Concert Gild, and St. Cecilia Music Center.

Presented with support from the Consulate of Portugal in Chicago, the International House Global Voices program, and WDCB. Partially supported by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.

voices of 20th-century popular song such as Edith Piaf, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, and Oum Kalthoum. Mariza, the young singer who has helped bring fado into the 21st century. Two of the greatest and most influential stylists of fado, the ex-libris of Portuguese popular music, a world cultural heritage.

b MARIZA Mariza. Amália. Fado.

There are no two voices like these. The late Amália Rodrigues, the Queen of Fado, a unique singer whose reputation stands among the great

These two artists have much in common beyond their origin. Mariza swept global audiences off their feet as Amália had done in the 1950s and 1960s, with her residencies at legendary venues such as the Paris Olympia and Carnegie Hall.

Through her critically acclaimed recordings and unexpected collaborations, Mariza expanded what fado could be — just like Amália had in the 1960s and 1970s. Mariza became the

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PROFILE ambassador of Portugal’s music in the 21st century like only Amália had been able to be in the 20th century.

Two voices that always seemed meant to meet.

Ever since her early days, Mariza has always sung pieces from Amália’s repertoire, on stage or in the studio — seemingly a rite of passage for any self-respecting fado singer — but never before had Mariza taken the step of recording an entire album of works made famous by Amália.

In 2020, the 20th anniversary of Mariza’s career, the centenary of Amália’s birth, that time came.

In her latest album, Mariza Sings Amália, Mariza reinvents standards from Amália’s repertoire for the 21st century, their soul intact, their identity unmistakable, their stylings unexpected.

Mariza Sings Amália features the traditional accompaniments of acoustic guitar and, notably, orchestra — a “scandal” condemned by fado purists when Amália first did it in the 1940s, but a choice that opened new emotional possibilities for Portuguese popular song. Mariza invited an old friend, Brazilian musician Jaques Morelenbaum — a regular accomplice of Ryuichi Sakamoto and Caetano Veloso — to produce the album. Morelenbaum produced Mariza’s tripleplatinum 2005 album Transparente; here, he creates a seductive, inspired series of orchestral arrangements, simultaneously classic and innovative, that allow Mariza to delve into songs we all thought we knew and make them new, fresh, ravishing.

Mariza may have performed all over the world, may have multi-platinum albums that topped charts throughout the globe, may have received endless prestigious awards — but in the studio, face to face with the standards that defined fado for global audiences, Mariza is starting from scratch. She has visited Amália’s repertoire before, but never like this — never with this wisdom, this experience, this power of 2 | UChicago Presents 77th Season

interpretation. In so doing, Mariza proves she more than lives up to her awards, her success, her performances, and assumes the mantle only Amália wore before: that of an ambassador of music, culture, talent.

This concert marks Mariza’s UChicago Presents debut.

PROGRAM NOTES BY KATHERINE BRUCHER Fado — a genre of popular song synonymous with Portugal — often seems like it is everywhere in Lisbon. It echoes from a kiosk that has been converted from a streetcar in the Chiado shopping district. The sound of a solo voice accompanied by intertwining guitar parts bounces off the cobblestone streets and stone buildings. Professional fadistas perform at dinner theaters catering to tourists, and outdoor concerts draw thousands of fans. Fado plays on the radio and on the daily morning television show, Praça Alegria. Working-class taverns in Lisbon’s neighborhoods sponsor weekly amateur fado nights attended by singers and aficionados.

When the moment comes, the fadista rises from her chair and stands between two accompanists, one playing the Portuguese guitarra (a pear shaped lute) and the other a Spanish guitar. If the singer is a woman, she typically wears a shawl draped around her shoulders in homage to Maria Severa Onofriana (1820–1846), a singer considered foundational to the rise of fado during the 19th century. The listeners hush as the singer raises her voice, drawing out syllables and quavering for emotional affect to express saudade, or longing, implied by lyrics that tell tales of lost lovers, sailors, and places no longer there. The guitarists provide a steady rhythm and harmony and elaborate interludes between stanzas of verse.

Fado is widely appreciated throughout Portugal, not just in Lisbon, and popular in Portuguese diaspora communities around the world. Since the 1990s, fado has gained stature within the global music market. The genre has its roots in Portugal’s colonial and seafaring past and is closely associated with Lisbon’s old portside neighborhoods, Alfama and Mouraria. While the origins of fado are contested, early fadistas are thought to have drawn on musical elements from West African, Brazilian, and Portuguese folk music. After fado gained popularity among Lisbon’s bohemian aristocrats, it became more

widely disseminated through musical salons, then sheet music, and later radio and recordings.

Fado, like much of Portugal’s artistic production, was closely regulated by the Estado Novo, a dictatorship that lasted from 1926 to 1974, but it became part of Portugal’s cultural resurgence following the end of the dictatorship.

Amália Rodrigues at Grand Gala du Disque Populaire in Congrescentrum, the Netherlands, March 7, 1969.

Amália Rodrigues (1920–1999), to whom Mariza pays tribute in this evening’s concert, is considered the Queen of Fado. Her story was one of rags to riches: she was born in Lisbon’s Pena neighborhood to a family of poor migrants from Portugal’s rural interior. She began singing in informal settings as a teenager, but came to prominence during the 1940s, first in musical reviews, and then through radio, recordings, and film. Rodrigues was known for her rich, throaty voice and exquisite musicality and expression.

Over the course of her career, she collaborated with the best lyricists and guitarists and toured internationally. After her death, she was the first woman to be interred in Portugal’s National Pantheon. A century after her birth, Rodrigues’s interpretations of songs remain the standard to which other performers aspire.

Katherine Brucher is a professor of music at the DePaul University School of Music.

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GIFTS UChicago Presents gratefully acknowledges the many friends who graciously support our programs. To contribute to the UCP Annual Fund, please call 773.702.8068 or visit give.uchicago.edu and select University of Chicago Presents.

UChicago Presents appreciates the support of the Office of the Provost and the Department of Music for its operations and the Logan Center for the Arts for its partnership on Jazz at the Logan and family and school programming. $10,000 AND ABOVE Hanna H. Gray National Endowment for the Arts Reva and David Logan Foundation Revada Foundation Illinois Arts Council Alan Cravitz and Shashi Caudill Adam M. Dubin and Wei-Jen Chen $5,000–$9,999 Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation James and Joan Shapiro $2,500–$4,999 Lois R. and Maurice J. Beznos in honor of Amy Iwano Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation Lynne F. and Ralph A. Schatz Dr. Elizabeth E. Sengupta* Louise K. Smith $1,000–$2,499 Anonymous Pamela Baker and Jay R. Franke Ann Bratton and John Partelow Howard and Elizabeth Helsinger Dr. and Mrs. Alan Leff Emilysue Pinnell and the Helen and Curtis Pinnell Foundation for the Howard Mayer Brown International Early Music Series Anne Walters Robertson and J. Robert Robertson Evelyn Brody and Jack Siegel Betty Vandenbosch Kathleen and Willem Weijer $500–$999 Anonymous R. Stephen and Carla F. Berry Teri Edelstein and Neil Harris Emlyn Eisenach and Eric Posner Paula A. Golden Raymond J. and Alma M. Kuby

Barbara Mirecki Bruce Oltman David and Kerstin Wellbery Howard Stanley White $250–$499 Anonymous Paul F. and Mary H. Anderson Mr. and Mrs. Spencer J. Bloch Mrs. Abraham Bookstein Phyllis B. Booth* Bradley A. Brickner and Cindy Shelhart Karen and Jon Cashen Paul E. and Susan S. Freehling William Hamilton William Jason Michel and Mark Botelho Kevin Oye and June Hsiao* Kenneth and Adair Small Ronald and Linda Thisted $100–$249 Anonymous Mr. and Mrs. Theodore N. Asner Ernestine and Ralph Austen Gary Childers Sonia V. Csaszar Geoffrey Flick* in honor of Jim and Marian Luke Mr. and Mrs. Howard Goldberg Dr. Sally Ann Hastings Lyra and Javad Hekmatpanah in memory of R. Stephen Berry Mark and Judy Jacobi Barbara Jurgens Neil and Diana King Eva Fishell Lichtenberg and Tobin Arnold Michael Licitra Corinne Lyon* Amy Mantrone Mitchell Dennis Marks Evelyn L. and Gerald E. Marsh* Gordon Marsh

Patrice Michaels and James Ginsburg Shankar and Katherine Nair Ruth O’Brien and Stuart A. Rice Harry Poffenbarger Shulamit Ran and Dr. Abraham M. Lotan Sidney Robinson Christine and Earl Ronneberg Bhooma and R.N. Sailappan Mr. and Mrs. Harold Sanders Anne Schaefer* Allen and Esther Schechter Arthur B. Schneider and Helen Sellin Alice and Julius Solomon Marshall Sparberg Nicholas Weingarten and Cynthia Winter Nicholas Yasillo $50–$99 Anonymous Dr. Diane and Robert Altkorn Lenora M. Austin Marjorie M. Benson Richard Hoskins in honor of Amy Iwano Dorothy Jeffries Lauren and John Kern in honor of Jim Kern Barbara S. Kirschner in memory of Robert H. Kirschner Ellen McGrew Melinda Ann Moore Robert Parsons Dr. and Mrs. Louis Philipson Kathleen Rundell Marjorie M. Stinespring MATCHING GIFTS IBM Corporation SPECIAL THANKS The Saints

We also thank the many individuals who make annual contributions under $50. Every gift we receive helps to bring the music to the stage.

This list reflects contributions received for the period between January 1, 2020, and December 31, 2020. We wish to acknowledge our donors accurately. If there is an error in your listing, please call us at 773.702.8068. * Denotes individuals who have sponsored a student. To learn more about the Sponsor-a-Student program, call the UCP main office.

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UPCOMING EVENTS

ST. LAWRENCE STRING QUARTET: HAYDN DISCOVERY

~NOIS

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FRI / FEB 5 / 7:00 PM

FRI / FEB 19 / 7:00 PM

The award-winning ensemble reveals the inner

Rising-star saxophone quartet ~Nois makes its

workings of Haydn’s Op. 20, No. 3, one of the

UChicago Presents debut as a 2020-21 Don

works that would define the string quartet genre

Michael Randel Resident Ensemble in a concert

for generations of composers.

of riveting music by contemporary composers.

UCHICAGO PRESENTS NEEDS YOUR SUPPORT MORE THAN EVER! As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, musicians remain unable to perform for inperson audiences. With our virtual events, we are working to help artists make their music and to connect you in interesting and inspiring ways with the music, while keeping events at low or no cost.

Please consider giving generously to keep the music playing. We would be so grateful!

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