Fado Weekend at CRR

ISTANBUL

Two world-renowned names of fado music, Portuguese singers Carminho and Cristina Branco, will take the stage at Istanbul’s Cemal Reşit (CRR) Rey Concert Hall on the weekend of Dec. 19-20. 

On the first day of the two-day Fado Weekend program, CRR will host Carminho, the melancholic voice of fado songs. Carminho became a star in Spain after being featured on Pablo Alborán’s “Perdóname,” which was a number-one single in the Spanish charts. Her albums “Fado” and “Alma” achieved platinum and gold status in Portugal, selling more than 50,000 copies.

She will take the stage on Dec. 19 accompanied by Luis Guerreiro, Diogo Clemente and Marino de Freitas. 

Branco will be on the CRR stage on Dec. 20. According to critics, “the Princess of Fado” Branco lives and breathes the fado genre, just as in the lyrics of Amalia Rodrigues’ song. She is a world-renown artist who blends traditional Portuguese music with works by national and international poet’s and opens a new door to fado.

She combines fado with poems by Dutch poet Slauerhoff as well as Shakespeare and her songs reflect the pleasure of life instead of the standard themes of fado such as grief, longing and desperation.

Branco will be accompanied by Ricardo Dias, Bernardo Couto and Bernardo Moreira.