MARIZA, THE DIVA OF FADO

January 19th – Main Hall, Cairo Opera House Mariza Reis Nunes is a Fado singer, which is a music genre rooted from the 1820s in Portugal,but probably with much earlier origins. It is
characterized by mournful tunes and lyrics,often about the sea or the life of the poor. It emerged from the brothels and taverns of Lisbon and were first sung by lonely sailors. Mainstream Fado performances during the 20th century included only a singer, a Portuguese guitar player and a classical guitar player, but more recent settings range from singer and string quartet to full orchestra.Mariza moved to Portugal when she was three,and was raised in one of the most traditional quarters of Lisbon, Mouraria - Alfama, where she learned how to sing Fado. Released in
2001, Mariza’s first album, Fado em Mim, wasan instant success in Portugal, selling more than 30,000 copies. This led to her recording company launching the disc internationally and taking advantage of the good reception that Portuguese music was enjoying at the time in Europe and in other countries, such as Mexico and Japan. When Mariza’s second album, Fado Curvo, was released in 2003, she was already considered as one of the best singers of what some call the new Fado movement. Mariza’s voice, which harks back to the grand divas of the musical form, like the eternal Amalia Rodrigues, and her impassioned interpretations of Fado standards brought her great international recognition in a short amount of time, leading to her being the recipient, in 2003, of the BBC’s award for Best European Artist in World Music.