Sat, Nov 7,2009
Today was one of those rare days in fall when it feels like a perfect summer day with a cool breeze and a benevolent sun. It also turned out to be one of the most beautiful evenings with the Gal Costa and Romero Lubambo performance at the Hill auditorium. I just LOVE the Hill auditorium. Its awesome acoustics and ambience add that special something to every performance. Close your eyes and you will feel as if the performers are putting an exclusive performance only for you. The Hill just seems to have so much of positive vibes to it and there’s magic in that place. I just can’t get enough of it.
Ok, now back to the evening’s performance.
Mr.Lubambo started by playing a medley that involved a blend of jazz improvisation and Brazilian music, showing a glimpse of his commendable repertoire. It was superb. He has such command over his instrument and is a master guitarist.
Then, the much awaited Gal Costa, in a lovely flowing red and lavender dress entered to thunderous applause. She started with a lovely slow song. I was amazed. Her age (she was born in 1945) doesn’t show either in her voice or appearance. I, at once, knew why she was one of Brazil’s most famous pop divas.
Her voice is smooth, deep and at the same time, so melodious. In these days, with the auto tuning and with singers who lip-sync all the time, it is such a treat to hear a singer who hits her high notes with perfect clarity and so effortlessly, especially in a live performance. I don’t think she ever missed a note in the entire show that lasted one hour and forty minutes. Some singers are born with the magic in their vocal chords and Gal Costa is one of them.
Ms .Costa and Mr. Lubambo shared such a nice camaraderie that comes only when two artists truly respect each other for their mastery in their respective fields. Her deep full-bodied voice blended very well with the twangs of his guitar perfectly. They complemented each other so well and it was evident that they enjoyed it as much as the rest of us.
Mr. Lubambo cracked us up with his humorous introduction of the songs and comments. During the performance, Ms. Costa sang close to Mr. Lubambo’s ear playfully. He was thrilled with it and he said that it was so good to be listening to her so close, something he could get only in a live performance where the musician feels “the love energy” of the audience and responds to it and there is such a synergy of good vibes. Like true performers they also engaged the audience. For one of her other songs, the audience doubled as her backup singers and it sounded so good as if they had rehearsed before.
As for the songs, I wished I knew Portuguese so that I could relate to the lyrics in spite of the fact that I could totally connect with the music. I guess this only proves how music truly appeals to the soul. I noted some of the songs though (by noting words by their sound) and looked the songs up after the show (ah, Google, where will I be without thee?). I loved her “Triste” ,”Aquarela do Brasil” and “As time goes by” .
As the show ended, we wanted more of course and there were two encores. My only regret was that with UMS’s policy, I couldn’t get a picture/video of the performers on stage at the Hill. 🙁
Luckily, I can still listen to their music on the net. Hope you guys do that too.
Krithika Srinivasan
