Melodic journey through Misia’s Lisbon streets
There is something sweetly melancholic in the photographs of Misia that were released just ahead of her Athens concert – but, after all, that is also the essence of her music. Misia will give her one and only concert in the Athens Concert Hall’s Alexandra Trianti Hall next Monday, March 8, where she will present her new album «Ruas» (Streets). The audience can expect a mixture of poetry and theater, nostalgia and urban images with highlights from the city of Lisbon, Misia’s birthplace. The singer, who is probably tired by now of being described as the queen of fados and the successor to Amalia Rodrigues, has described her new work as sounds from Lisbon, which convey the city’s rich cultural milieu but also that of the rest of Europe. The singer prefers to showcase her music differently. Her advise to Athenian audiences is to be aware. «If you want to dream along with me that evening you should be careful, because Lisbon’s streets are slippery,» the artist said. Misia stands out as a singer because she has reconstructed the traditional, taking fados and Portuguese music further forward, with a fresh sound. She is not afraid of singing in different styles and languages, of borrowing the words of Portuguese poets and setting them to music. She did not pause to consider that there could be criticism from people stuck in the past and with no desire for change. For Misia, the rules have never been important. Her wish is to liberate experiences, journeys and literary works through her music. When asked to comment on Greek music, she seemed knowledgeable on the subject and praised the work of Mikis Theodorakis and Manos Hadjidakis. «Composers are also lucky to have such great artists to lean on. Greeks are warm, emotional and intellectual. They have a heart and culture.» Athens Concert Hall, 1 Kokkali & Vas. Sofias, tel 210.728.2333
