Majestic Cantora Brasileira

Virginia Rodrigues
Duke Performances
Duke University
Durham, North Carolina
October 25, 2007

Brazilian singer Virginia Rodrigues  is gifted with a prodigious voice. Not only does she have a beautiful tone, but she can also sustain it for an unbelievably long time. Rodrigues is currently touring the United States and I had the pleasure of attending her concert at Duke University. The prestigious university, located in Durham (North Carolina) has an excellent performing arts series that includes word music, jazz and classical.

Virginia Rodrigues ' concert is part of a series called Cantoras Brasileiras, which focuses on some of the most interesting female voices coming out of Brazil.There is no doubt that Virginia Rodrigues needs to be at the top of the list. Her selection at the Duke performance included Afro-Brazilian songs, devotional candomble, jazz-inflected songs and samba. She was accompanied by a trio of excellent musicians, which included guitarist Bernardo Bosisio, percussionist Marco Lobo, and saxophonist/flutist Raul Mascarenhas.

Even though Virginia Rodrigues mesmerized the audience with her exquisite songs, percussionist Marco Lobo showed that he is also worthy of attention. He used a wide range of instruments, ranging from funky berimbau and an  enormous bass pandeiro (frame drum) to all sorts of smaller percussion instruments, which emulated the sounds of surf and water, creating a scenic musical environment for Rodrigues' voice.

 

Next in the Cantoras Brasileiras will be singer/guitarist Badi Assad, who will perform November 30 at 8 p.m. and Luciana Souza Quartet on January 11, 2007 at 8 p.m. All concerts are at the Reynolds Industries Theater. For more information about the series go to www.dukeperformances.org.

Rodrigues most recent CDs are: Sol Negro (Natasha Records, 1998), Nos (Natasha Records/USA: Rykodisc, 2000), and Mares Profundos (Natasha Records/Edge Music/Universal Classics, 2003)

There are not too many opportunities left to see Virginia Rodrigues during this tour. The remaining dates are:

10/25/2007
Thursday
Burlington, VT
Flynn Center

10/26/2007
Friday
Philadelphia, PA
Annenberg PAC

10/28/2007
Sunday
Bethlehem, PA
Lehigh University

[Photo credit © Mario Cravo Neto / Deutsche Grammophon]