Bossa Nova Day! Meet the girl from Ipanema

On January the 25th, Brazil celebrates the beautiful and magical rhythm of Bossa Nova.   Do you know what Bossa Nova is?  


I  bet you have already heard the song "The Girl from Ipanema", and now that even the "Girl from Candem" has recorded her unique version of this Bossa classic, Bossa Nova is still surely in good hands! 


In Brazil, to do something with "bossa" is to do it with particular charm and natural flair, as in an innate ability.    In 1932, Noel Rosa used the word in a samba, which went "O samba, a prontidão e outras bossas / São nossas coisas, são coisas nossas" ("The samba, the readiness and otherbossas / Are our things, are things from us"). 


As yet, the exact origin of the term "bossa nova" remains uncertain. What is certain is that the term "bossa" was used to refer to any new "trend" or "fashionable wave" within the artistic beach-culture of late 1950s Rio de Janeiro. The term finally became known and widely used to refer to a new music style, a fusion of samba and jazz, when the now famous creators of "bossa nova" referred to their new style of work as "a bossa nova", as in "the new thing."  (adapted from Wikipedia) 

This music style originated on the 50's,  in the wealthy neighborhoods that sprouted along the beaches of the city of Rio de Janeiro and both its music and lyrics were composed by middle and upper-class musicians and marketed to the same economic group. For this reason, bossa nova was criticized by some for emphasizing a carefree way of living that little resembled the life of most Brazilians, the great majority of which belonged to the working class.

Indeed, bossa nova compositions often spoke of love, the beach, and beautiful women and seemed to be a depiction of the author's bohemian life rather than a tale of Brazilians' daily struggles as usually happened with samba, a music genre popular among the working class. "The Girl from Ipanema," which became popular outside of Brazil both in its original Portuguese form and in translation, is a perfect example of a bossa nova song.  (adapted from eassortment article) 

The Ministry of Culture team recognizes the historical value and contribution of the genre in the composition of national identity. It considers that the new commemorative day will contribute to the institutional goal of recognition, promotion and protection of Brazilian culture, and render homage to a great icon of the music of the country.

Bossa nova was born in Brazil in the late 50's, as a new way of playing and singing the samba, a soft and minimalist way. Over the years, it became one of the Brazilian musical movement known all over the world, associated with names such as João Gilberto, Vinicius de Moraes, Antonio Carlos Jobim and Luiz Bonfa.

Some music critics highlight the influence of American jazz from the postwar period, as one of the influences of this new way of composing and singing in Brazil. An embryo of the movement were the meetings of musicians from middle class, in the southern Rio, especially in the apartment of the singer Nara Leão this meeting, the group of friends gathered to hear and make music. Among the participants were Billy Blanco, Carlos Lyra, Roberto Menescal, Sergio Ricardo, Chico Feitosa, Joao Gilberto, Luis Carlos Vines, Ronaldo Boscoli, among others.  (adapted from article published on Ministry of Culture website)


Did you know that the "Girl from Ipanema" who inspired the composers really exists?  

Yes, her name is Helô Pinheiro, she was just seventeen and she would stroll past the popular Veloso bar-café, not just to the Ipanema beach ("each day when she walks to the sea"), but in the everyday course of her life. She would sometimes enter the bar to buy cigarettes for her mother and leave to the sound of wolf-whistles. 


In the winter of 1962, the composers watched the girl pass by the bar, and it is easy to imagine why they noticed her—Helô was a 173-cm (five-foot eight-inch) brunette, and she attracted the attention of many of the bar patrons. Since the song became popular, she has become a celebrity.  [adapted from wikipedia)

Helô Pinheiro at 17 years old

Here you can appreciate photos of Helô Pinheiro when she was just a "passer by" in Ipanema Beach and how she looks today.  Still very pretty!  



  

Villa-Lobos - Bringing the forest to the Opera

Heitor Villa-Lobos, Brazilian composer and conductor, died in Rio de Janeiro on November 17, 1959. 


He was largely responsible for the creation of a peculiar Brazilian language in classical music.  He is considered the greatest exponent of musical modernism in Brazil and Latin America, composing works that highlight the spirit of nationalism and incorporates elements of folk songs, popular and indigenous inspiration.

Raul Villa-Lobos, the composer's father, an official of the National Library and amateur musician, taught him the first steps, adapting a guitar so that the small Hector learn to play cello. At age of 12, he began playing cello in theaters, cafes and balls. Later, he became interested in intense musicality of "chorões", representatives of the best popular music of Rio de Janeiro.   Having a restless temperament, Villa-Lobos undertook journeys into the interior of Brazil, absorbing all the Brazilian musical universe. In 1913 he married the pianist Lucilia Guimarães.


The international impact of his work was felt especially in France and in the United States, evidenced by the extensive obituary that The New York Times dedicated to him.  Villa-Lobos had no children.

                            "Trenzinho Caipira"a composition by Heitor Villa Lobos and integral part of the "Bachianas Brasileiras No. 2". The music is characterized by the imitation of the motion of a locomotive using the instruments of the orchestra.

The first compositions of Villa-Lobos bear the mark of European styles from the turn of the 19th to the 20th century, being mainly influenced by Wagner, Puccini, by French Romantic school of Cesar Frank and the impressionists Debussy and Ravel.

Dances in African features (1914), however, begins to move away from the European manner, and to discover their own language, which became established in the Amazon and Uirapuru ballets (1917). 

In the creative audacity of the year 1920, which produced the serenades, the Choros, Studies Cirandas for guitar and piano, followed by a neo-Baroque period, whose flagship was the exquisite nine Bachianas Brasileiras (1930-1945), for different instrumental.  In his work, the conductor combined indifferently all styles and all genres, without hesitation introducing typically Brazilian musical materials  in typical forms of Western classical music, a procedure that led him to approach, in the same work, Bach and more exotic instruments.

"Music owes to this great genius not only the master pieces he created, but more importantly, his courageous attitude to oppose the so-called modern music. Villa Lobos followed the precepts of the  true music, enriching it and marking it embedded in his strong personality. (...) he will remain as one of the greatest personalities of his time and one of the greatest glories of his country"  

(Pablo Casals, cellist genius).


(adapted from the article published at OperaMundi website, in 2011)

The most macabre tourist attraction of Portugal

I was just a little girl when my grandmother first told me about a chapel in Portugal where the walls were all covered by human bones and skulls.  The name of this place is Capela dos Ossos - The Bones Chapel and later on, I found out that this place really existed and to my surprise, not only one capela is there to be seen, but many!   In 2009 I visited the Bones Chapel in Faro, which was already very scary and I could not wait to visit the big one, in Évora!


The most important and famous Bones Chapel is located in the city of Évora, in the Alentejo region of Portugal and this past Christmas  I went there to see one of the most macabre sacred-place-turned-into"tourist attraction" in Portugal.  


The official Capela dos Ossos website explains that back in the 16th century the local monastic cemeteries (42 in total) were getting crowded more and more and the  Franciscan monks decided on a practical solution for the situation: they moved all the bones to one chapel and (here comes the philosophical twist) decided to display them prominently thinking this was an opportunity to contemplate and communicate the inevitability of death.  


At the entrance, leading to the inside of the sacred chapel, the warning:  "we bones that lie here, for yours await" -  see photo  Not bad for a warm welcome, eh?   

"Inside, human bones and skulls completely cover the chapel's walls and pillars - the number of skeletons has been estimated at 5,000. Legend has it the bones come from soldiers of a major battle or plague victims, but in reality they are people from all walks of life who were buried in Evora's medieval cemeteries. " 

(source: http://www.sacred-destinations.com/)  

There are some conspiracy theories saying that the bones used to form the walls in the chapel belonged to people killed during inquisition (Centuries XVI and XVII) but this is obviously unconfirmed.  The chapel was built between the same centuries though.  


Below I have added some photos I took but I apologise for the poor quality of the ones taken inside the Chapel.  You can find more information about the Chapel and the beautiful city of Évora in this website.

Lateral view of Igreja São Francisco and the Bones Chapel

Entrance to the Bones Chapel

Main entrance for the Bones  Chapel with inscription:  "We bones that lie here, for yours await."

Inside the Bones Chapel.  

The visitors can't get too close to the bones and there are information desks with poems written to celebrate and contemplate death.  

Detail of the one of the walls.  

Corridor leading to the Chapel.   

Igreja São Franscisco.  

Braga, Portugal - The 2012 European Youth Capital.

Holiday ideas? 2012 is an excellent year for you to travel to Portugal and visit its oldest city: BRAGA.  The city has been awarded the title of European Youth Capital for this current year and will be holding many attractions throughout 2012. 


The best time to visit Braga is during Easter, when for an entire week the city blazes with lights and there is a torchlight procession of hooded participants.


The European Youth Capital is a title granted to a European city for a year and is awarded by the European Youth Forum. Over this period the chosen city will have the opportunity to showcase its youth-related cultural, social, political and economic life and development and to host a number of corresponding events.  (source: wikipedia)



Braga is often described as one of the most beautiful cities in Portugal, typically Baroque, founded by a Celtic tribe called Bracari and later occupied by the Romans - it became the seat of a large archbishopric and the country's religious capital in the 11th century.

Today Braga is a modern city with a young population, bustling with commerce and industry surrounding a lively and attractive old center with a number of pedestrian streets.

To get to Braga from London a good choice is to fly to either Faro or Lisbon and from there, take another flight to the city of OPorto.  Porto is about 50 kilometres from Braga and is in itself another great city to explore during your holidays.  There are direct flights from the UK to O Porto as well if you prefer to save time although the choice for days and time are not as varied as if you are flying to Lisbon.. For those who like to explore the countryside, a good idea is to hire a car in Lisbon and plan your journey to Braga visiting the many charming villages you will encounter on your way to the north. 



Hope you have the chance to add Braga to your "Holidays wish list" and   when in there, don't miss the Frigideira de Braga, a puff pastry pie filled with delicious beef trimmings.  The most famous place to have them is at Frigideiras do Cantinho, founded in 1796!

Unemployed young people emigrate to Brazil

Adapted from the article published in O Estado de São Paulo newspaper, in November 2011.  Click here to read the original, in Portuguese.


SÃO PAULO - The Brazilian economy growth has increased the interest  among foreign young people in search of an international professional experience.  Especially in South America, a temporary contract work in Brazil - the region's largest economy - is seen as a complement that can make all the difference in the curriculum.



The number of young foreigners who came to Brazil through the global network  AIESEC  increased by 50% between 2009 and 2010 - from 299 to 447. Among the nations that send young people into the country is Colombia, United States, Peru and Mexico. "I've decided to attend college in Brazil because it is the power of South America," says  Carlos Adrian Nuñez, 24 from Peru, who now lives in the city of Lauro de Freitas (BA).
Nuñez works at the  Master Glasses, eyewear manufacturer that is interested in expanding their business to South America, the company has partnered with AIESEC and selected students  from Colombia, Argentina and Peru to come and work for them. "They come up with innovative ideas," said Carlos Souza, president of the company.
Nuñez's case, however, is special. While other foreigners only work in temporary contracts with Master Glasses - the company makes 50 thousand pair of glasses a month and has sales of    R$ 36 million per year, the Peruvian student  was invited to stay.   Souza applied for a work visa that will guarantee more two years of permanence to the exchange student. "He brought a quality mindset to the company. Now, with exports, I need someone who speaks Spanish and ensure the quality of the product in other countries."
Adding the exchange period plus the new employment contract, Nuñez will have about four years of professional experience in the country "This will be a very strong differential point on my resume," he explains.


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It is very important to add to this article that although the country has become a land of opportunities for those who want to work and have a degree, one must learn to speak Portuguese.   Most companies will NOT hire candidates who cannot speak the country's language.   I have met many excellent professionals (Europeans and North Americans) who could not find a job in Brazil's biggest financial centre - São Paulo, due to their poor language skills.  Language is essential.