Sunday, June 12, 2016

Letters, Words, Books... and Music of the Heart

Yesterday was one of those bright, sunny days with a fresh little breeze to cool your head enough to keep your thoughts from overheating.


Last week we heard the sad news that the oldest bookstore in A Coruña, Molist Librería (1948), was going to close down. Sad, because not long ago other old bookstores (La Poesía and Colón) also closed their doors. 





I found some very interesting titles which I took home, with the approval of Mercedes, the owner, who said she had also enjoyed them very much. I have already started Groucho Marx's correspondence which is indeed, very entertaining to read!

Then, we happened to see the improvised hangers people from Coruña use to hang their clothes while they go into the water, especially those who like to swim in the Atlantic regardless of weather or season. Thanks, Carmen and Jose, for pointing them out, they were an unexpected finding! Can you see them below? All types of materials, colors and shapes which make this wall quite unique.



And we couldn't have ended the day on a higher note. At the age of 33 with a career which has already led her to win a Goya Award for best original song,  Silvia Pérez Cruz manages to wring your heart with her voice. Her parents were both singers who sang together. Her mother taught her to play the sax and piano and to dance and sculpt, and her father was a self-taught guitarist. She received classical training and took a degree in vocal jazz.  

She told NPR that "Style is not what matters to me, but the result. The song has to have a story that I believe in and I can make my own. I think I have that influence from my mother. My mother is a good storyteller, and she's always believed that songs are stories.

Where does her voice come from? She said in an interview for El País that she is "a landscape", the Ampurdán, and she tries to "speak about its beauty", the beauty of the woods and the seas of her home region in Catalonia. 

No surprise then that she completely sold out her show last night at the Palacio da Ópera de A Coruña. Most of the concert was devoted to songs from the 2016 album Domus mixed with reminders of her earlier work with solo spots from the band. The result was a varied set that veered from pleasant, heartwarming songs to mostly tragic ones that showed off her voice range and versatility, with the seemingly effortless multi-instrumental work from the band helping transfer every song. There was little slack in over two hours of blistering instrumentals and mournful songs. The audience was mesmerized by the classy material, including an upbeat song inspired by the "Lambada", an enthusiastic version with a wonderful harmony treatment of Cohen's "Hallelujah", a moody, tough interpretation of "No hay tanto pan", and an inspired improvisation of  "Negra sombra" among others. The concert ended with an intimate encore that included the high note of the defiant "Gallo negro, gallo rojo".




Silvia is a refreshingly unassuming performer. She came on stage with her innocent, volatile dress as if she was treading softly on a field of poppies, and after just one song, we had all given in to her charm. She has a sweet and powerful voice that sounds tentative. Sadness and tragedy are her milieus and by the time we got to "Negra sombra," a few tears had slid down my cheeks.

Her lyrics are poignant, pure poetry

NãO SEI
Passa o dia, passa a noite
passa o trem, a primavera,
minha vida inteira passa,
(...)
Eu sei, eu seu, já sei
a saudade o que é:
un coração tudo feito de papel.

SMILE AND RUN
Mi alma ya no está en tus azucenas
pero seguirá en mis fotografías.


ES VERDAD
Por tu amor me duele el alma
el corazón 
y el sombrero








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