Yann Tiersen in Lisbon

A few days ago I attended a concert here in Lisbon by Yann Tiersen. Yann Tiersen who achieved world fame after creating the soundtrack for the movie "Amélie" and then for "Goodbye Lenin" raised great expectations for me about what this concert would be. I wasn't under the ilusion that I was going to hear soundtracks for two hours but I was expecting a talented musician and a calm beatiful evening. I got the first part right. I would say that Yann Tiersen is the most talented musician that I've seen in concert. He plays guitar as easily as the accordeon or the piano and he is absolutely amazing with the violin. Unfortunately the concert was much more aggressive than I was hoping for. As I read somewhere it was much closer to Sonic Youth than Amelie. Nonetheless the band was made up of amazing musicians and it was fun to watch, but I was expecting something different. There were only two songs from Amélie and even those were completely altered, and only those completely familiared with this soundtrack could recognize it. One of these songs was, for me (but also for the rest of the crowd), the highest point of the whole concert. The music was Sur le Fil, a less known song from Amelie's soundtrack. You can listen to it here. But this is the original version. What I heard in concert was absolutely unforgettable. It was Yann Tiersen alone playing the violin. You can check a very similar version here. You should wait for the final part to be completely swept off your feet. I hope you enjoy as much as I did. That moment made my night.

Artist #3 - Orquestra Imperial

A few days ago, I came to know a new brazilian group - more like a crowd. considering they're almost 20! - called Orquestra Imperial. It integrates artists from different groups and different musical experiences - people like Rodrigo Amarante (lead singer from Los Hermanos), Moreno Veloso (Caetano Veloso's son), Wilson das Neves (famous drummer who worked with Chico Buarque and Elis Regina), etc.

The group intends to create the spirit of "gafieiras". A gafieira is a place where traditionally people from lower classes would gather around to practice some dances with brazilian music as background.
The true spirit of the group is better grasped "live" and luckily I had that chance this weekend on the lovely gardens of the Gulbenkian Foundation in Lisbon.
It was a lovely surprise to hear such traditional brazilian music in such a refreshing way.
To have a little glimpse of the band check it out here.

Movie #9 - The Godfather

One may wonder: How is it possible that a movie aficionado like me hadn't seen the godfather yet?
Well, in fact, I did see the movie before, but I realized that I did not remember anything about the movie except for one or two blurred scenes. I saw the movie when I was very young and one thing that fascinated me was the fact that the memories I had of this movie was that I had really enjoyed it, even though I saw it at an age when I was more interested in action loaded american blockbusters and when I couldn't sit still for three hours to see such a slow paced movie. So, I decided I needed to devote my full atention to this classic... and what wonderful three hours I spent watching such a cinematic opera prima.
The camera angles, the choice of light, the sets, the dialogues (oh man the dialogues! - leave the gun, take the cannoli; I'll make him an offer he can't refuse.), the acting (Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, Duvall in such a constrained but wonderfull part, James Caan, they're all great), all tied together with an unforgetable score... it gives you the feeling that you were entitled to witness for three hours to the events of a mafia family in the 1940's and 1950's in America and you simply believe that those characters will live on after you turn off the tv or walk out of the movie theater (well actually, 18 of them, including the horse don't live on).
Definitely, one of the greatest movies I've ever seen and if this sounds like a cliché that's because sometimes reality is obvious and the majority is sometimes right.
Do make an effort to see this movie if you haven't (or even if you have seen it before, it's always a pleasure).

And an honorable mention to the movie Love Story

While on honeymoon I enjoyed one of the most romantic, lame and cliché movies ever.
Love Story (1970) is a movie by Arthur Hiller which tells a classic story of a forbidden love between up class Harvard Law student/hockey jock (Oliver Barrett IV/Ryan O'Neal) and Radcliffe music wonk (Jennifer Cavalleri/ Ali MacGraw).

It does not deserve to be on the list, but it does deserve an honorable mention. And the reason for it is simple: it contains all the cliché elements of a romantic movie such as the tragically simple script, the lame music (world wide famous piano excerpt) and the profound phrases ("Love means never having to say you're sorry"); however, it was this movie who introduced most of them to popular movies. Besides, it's an opportunity to get a glimpse at Tommy Lee Jones in his film debut

You should check it out if you have two hours to spare.

Back with 2 more wines

I'm back.
While I was away I enjoyed two very nice wines.
One is definitely better than the other but the two deserve to be mentioned here.

a) Wine #4: Callabriga. Another wine from the Douro Region. This one from Casa Ferreirinha.
Contrary to the other wine that I will mention here, this one was ready to drink as soon as the cork was out.
Here are some tasting notes (not mine) in Portuguese:
O Callabriga foi produzido na Região do Dão duma mistura das castas Tinta Roriz, Touriga Nacional e Alfrocheiro Preto, exprimindo a vivacidade sensorial característica da região. Apresenta uma cor vermelha profunda com aromas vivos de frutos frescos e maduros, e tem algumas notas resinosas e ervas aromáticas. Encorpado, é abundante e firme nos taninos, com a acidez viva. Esta acidez está ainda presente no final frutado e vivo.
They suggest this wine to go with meat, but for me it was a perfect company for a very nice gilthead seabream (Dourada).

b) Wine #5: Passadouro Reserva 2004. Once more, a fine Douro wine. This wine is clearly superior to Callabriga, uncomparable I would say. I coudn't find some tasting notes, aside from some common comments that I can certainly agree with: Rich full bodied wine, red fruit, vanilla.
It takes some time to be in a condition to be enjoyed. I waited almost two hours before I considered it to be ready, but it was definitely worth the wait. It is another wine by Dirk van der Niepoort, a dutch youngman who took care of the independent family business that exists in the Douro region since 1842. I still haven'd had a Niepoort wine that I did not enjoy.

Away for two weeks

For a very good reason, I will not be posting any message in this blog for the next two weeks.
I'll be getting married this weekend and will be away on my honeymoon for two weeks.

If you need me, you can try to reach me here :)

A presto

On Kings of Leon

A friend of mine kindly offered me a CD (I can´t remember the last time I had been offered a CD!).
The CD was from the band Kings of Leon, the album was Only by the night with a cover reminding a Rorschach test.
It was the first time I heard Kings of Leon, even though the name was familiar for some years now. I really enjoyed this album. THe music was very rich, with every song revealing an interesting detail that highly enriched it.
However, I'm still not able to say whether I will consider this band in my list of artists, because this is all I know about this album. And in fact, the friend who gave me the album told me that he personally didn't like all the other stuff by this group. I need to find out more about this band and will do it soon.