A great photo coverage of Guitarra e Mistério's latest concert by Aby Rajan (thank you, Aby!).
Check the full album here.

For videos of the concert please check the previous posts.

 

 

"Vilas Morenas" (by A. Pinho Vargas), performed live at Café Bacchus, 2011.

Está esquecida, a poesia
confinada a livros pequeninos.
Os palcos gigantes
são agora dos doutores mesquinhos
das unhas polidas
e fato-gravata sedosos
pagos à miséria do tédio.

Já não chegam rimas,
doces imagens de ternura:
dedos, Orfeu,
chorando na lira meiga
a tresmalhada Euridice,
esvaídos os cantos
de musas esmagadas
nas pedras secas do rio.

A poesia tem de vir para a rua
gritar o suor dos mortos,
marchar lágrimas de fome
nas bocas sujas do senhores
de colarinho engomado
rasgado à dureza escarlate do fio
escorrido em tinto recorte
- o tíbio aço, frio, das espadas.

Tem de despir-se dos enfadonhos
circuitos do misógeno,
ambulante e covarde pensador
embalsamado de ideias e de sonhos.
Fugir das tertúlias sensaboronas,
reino de pálidas, virginais
sobre-rodadas declamantes
amázias cinquentonas,
disfarçadas de rapaz.


A poesia há-de morrer
travando a guerra
em parelhas ou filas,
cruzadas, duetos,
ao jugo das mãos queimadas
e corpos dilectos já sem ritmo.
Hecatombe de cidades esquecidas
travestidas de sonetos.

À retaguarda,
vontades renascidas,
novas heroínas destemidas
de batalhas
trespassadas pela paz.

Orgulhosa,
cumprirá o seu destino
pupilas dilatadas
um horizonte branco
e a visão
do nascer o homem novo
sem trato, bandeira ou salva.
Silêncio. Redenção:
celebrando o seu hino.
Poesia - aqui jaz!

Guitarra e Mistério will participate in Dias Latinos, a festival fully dedicated to Latin rooted music. In two presentation of 45 minutes, the Portuguese guitar will bring some unique atmospheres and emotions to this event.

Location: Theater de lieve vrouw, Amersfoort
Date and time: August 20, 15:00h

With: Rafael Fraga and Eva Aukes

For more info: Dias Latinos Festival

After the success of this spring, Guitarra e Mistério will participate in another Portuguese music night at Talia. For the occasion there will also be a special guest: João David Almeida

Guitarra e Mistério & João David Almeida
Date: August 19, 19:30h
Location: Talia, Amsterdam

With: João David Almeida (vocals and guitar), Rafael Fraga (Portuguese guitar), Eva Aukes (guitar) and Breno Viricino (doublebass)


Portuguese song and fado have always put together the work of the greatest national poets and efective, simple melodies, in a combination that leaves a lot of free space for interpretation. The Portuguese guitar blends several different approaches in a unique trip that carries the Portuguese music out of its comfort zone, and searches further into its essence.

Blending Portuguese folk tradition with classical music, Eira is a 25 minute setting of original texts and music by Rafael Fraga. Inspired in the  essence of Azorean popular poetry and vocal music, Eira pursues innovative languages and sound universes, after several months of research, compositional and poetic work.
Eira will now be recorded and brought to public, in two open rehearsal sessions.

Go to Eira's web page

Open rehearsals:
Saturday, July 9: 12 - 13.30h
Sunday, July 10: 12 - 13.30h
Haitinkzaal, Conservatorium van Amsterdam

Eira
Music and Lyrics by Rafael Fraga

With:
Barbara Kits | Soprano
Konradin Herzog | Music direction
Rafael Fraga | Portuguese guitar

Karolina Ogrodowska | Flute
Mor Levin | Clarinet
Alexander van Eerdewijk | Oboe
Ryoko Imai | Percussion
Anna Steinkogler | Harp
Paul Medeiros | Violin
Johanneke Haverkate | | Violin
Hannah Strijbos | Viola
Ketevan Roinishvili | Cello
Santiago Botero Rodriguez | Double bass

Kaveh Vares | Executive production
Tjeerd Schils | Sound engineering

Eira is me possible by a grant from the Governo Regional dos Açores (Bolsas de Criação Artística).

Last couple of months have been very important to the development of my most recent projects, namely "Guitarra e Mistério". I am happy to announce that there are several scheduled performances, namely a participation in the Dias Latinos Festival, an important venue fully dedicated to Latin music in the Netherlands.

Another very significant moment will be the recording of "Eira", a work for soprano and chamber ensemble supported by the Portuguese grant program Bolsas de Criação Artística, where I fully embrace the challenge of making a fusion between popular Portuguese, classical and contemporary music. The recording session will take place in Amsterdam and will be conducted by Konradin Herzog.

Other projects are currently undergoing development and I hope to bring them to your attention soon. In the mean time, you can find below a summary of my next public venues, as well as other updates:

Concerts
Jun 18:  Dorpshuis de Zwaan, Uitgeest, 20h
Jun 30:  Barco do Fado, Rotterdam, 18h
July 1:   Talia, Amsterdam, 20h
Aug 20: Dias Latinos Festival - Amersfoort, 15.30h and 17h
Sep 3:   CC Lagos, Portugal, 21h
Sep 30: Café Bacchus - Aalsmeer, 21h


Recordings
June 26-27: "Guitarra e Mistério" in studio, for sessions with the German violin player Aili Deiwiks.
July 5 - 10: Recording of "Eira". For soprano, Portuguese guitar and chamber ensemble. With Barbara Kits (soprano) and Konradin Herzog (conductor). With grant by the Governo Regional dos Açores (Bolsas de Criação Artística, Portugal)

Free guitar Lessons - Amsterdam
Since April I have developed a "free guitar lessons" in Amsterdam. It is part of the Couchsurfing Amsterdam Zone, but open to anyone willing to join. The group is now preparing a final concert. There will be a performance with the students, specially prepared for their friends and guests. Friday, July 1st, at Talia, Amsterdam.

House concerts
To support my house concert venues, a special web page has been developed. You can find a detailed description and suggestions if you would like to consider inviting us to play at your place. Make your living room go LIVE!


For further information, please consult the website rafaelfraga.com.

If you have media (pictures, etc.) that you consider relevant, curious or interesting, namely of performances you might have attended, please send it. I will be glad to post it on my website. If you have any suggestion, remark or simply would like to stay in touch, please do not hesitate to email me.

I would like to thank you for your support, hoping that we can soon share more music.

Last Friday, I had the pleasure to share a song with the amazing Daniel deMoraes and Hernan Ruiz at Cafe Bacchus, Aalsmeer. What a wonderful night!
I can't wait to go go back there in September, with Guitarra e Mistério!