Cláudia stands in the middle of the stage in a long black
dress this really punctuates her pink hair. Behind her on a chair facing
backwards is her backing singer who just happens to be the writer of the song.
She turns around part way through then turns back again. There is not much in the
way of action and Cláudia sings the song very intensely and the emotion shows
in her face and voice. The backdrop is blue and beneath her feet are the
outlines of white petals and leaves.
This is quite a modern ethereal song, akin to something
London Grammar might come out with. It starts with just piano backing. As the
song progresses you suspect that an undercurrent, a beefed up beat will appear
– but it never does. As the song progresses there is a very faint
beat although it is more like a soft heart beat which fits with the
words of the song. The lyrics are full of metaphors hinting at what the
Portuguese call ‘saudade’ or longing, in this case being the thoughts and pain
of those left behind when someone has died, all of which influences Cláudia’s
emotional performance. You definitely feel a journey - a beginning, middle and end - when watching and listening.
The performance is very simple as is the song. The tune of
the song is very memorable and repetitive but not in a bad way. It is much less
orchestrated than Salvador’s entry last year and is much more insular in terms
of meaning and performance. I think the language also sounds very pretty in the
song. This is a great entry for the home crowd to support in my and also a
great showcase of modern Portuguese singers and songwriters rather than the more traditional Fado. I think this will
do well with the juries and will give a
reasonable result for the home crowd.
ARTIST – Cláudia
Pascoal
SONG – O jardim (The garden)
MUSIC - Isaura
LYRICS - Isaura
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