Turkish Presidential Orchestra Hosts World-Famous Portuguese Fado Singer

Turkey's Presidential Symphony Orchestra hosted world-famous Portuguese Fado singer Sara Correia at a concert to mark Portugal's rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union.

The concert held in the capital Ankara also hosted French composer Claude Debussy, Italian composer Pietro Mascagni and Fado singer Ana Lains. Their performance was directed by Cemi'i Can Deliorman.

The concert was held under the banner of Mediterranean Breeze.

We all want a good start to summer, said Deliorman.

"Portugal has a very rich culture in Mediterranean music. Fado is one of Portugal's most well-known musical genres.

"The focus of this concert is Fado, but the most important thing here is the Mediterranean breeze. The feel of the Mediterranean is what we want to emphasize," he added.

Fado, which loosely translates into "destiny or fate", can be traced back to the 1820s in Portugal, but it has much earlier origins. It is often compared to American Blues for its melancholy themes and stripped-down acoustic instruments.

He went on to say that the world is waiting to come out of the pandemic.

Fado is a musical culture built entirely on hope, he said. "Fado as a metaphor is the hope of getting out of the pandemic. This is exactly the message we want to convey."

Fado's brightest star Sara Correia

Correia is one of the brightest Fadista. She is considered to be the future of Fado music in Portugal, Deliorman said.

"She is a very important name and a very authentic voice. She learned singing Fado from her mother," he said.

She has attracted worldwide attention over the last few years, he said. "It is very important for us to have her because she is a name that echoes with Fado."

Another vocalist, Lains is one of the shooting stars of Fado music, he said.

"The newer genre of Fado is very young and dynamic that can be performed not only with guitar and voice, but also with strings and quartets, and experimenting with different Fado colors," he said.

A recording of the concert held on Wednesday with the cooperation of the Portuguese Embassy in the CSO concert hall will be broadcast on TRT 2 on June 25. -