Translated in 49 languages and in 55 different countries, Jeorge Amado’s work has conveyed the most vivid traits of Brazil all over the world. In particular, no one has ever managed to describe the state of Bahia and the North-East of the country with such intensity: the rustic hinterland, the cocoa fields, the beaches, the mangrove forests, and – above all – the extraordinary diversity of a human landscape which has been for centuries a melting-pot of peoples and traditions.
The main characters in Amado’s novels are radiant and restless personalities, lively presences who, in their everyday lives, embody the various ferments that characterise Brazilian popular culture. They are often strong, energetic and sensual women, like Dona Flor, Teresa Batista, Tieta, Dora e Gabriela: female characters who have been key in several adapted screenplays and who have also inspired the great composers of Salvador de Bahia. Born in a land where music and dance are deep experiences, inherently connected to the Afro-Brazilian religious practice of candomblè, Dorival Caymmi, Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil are the composers to whom the repertoire of this show is dedicated.
Tribute to Jorge Amado is a project that intends to pay homage not only to the writer from Bahia on the centenary of his birth, but also to the contemporary relevance of his work, which continues to influence every aspect of Brazilian culture. Evocative literary pages and characters as charming as Gabriela ‘clove and cinnamon’ thus turn into music and songs, in an atmosphere that recalls the million colours of Salvador.
Rosa Emilia Dias (vocals)
Charly Bertolotto (guitar)
José Antonio Molina (percussion)