Inspired by Portuguese poet and icon Fernando Pessoa, the upcoming exclusive gala event will present The Elton Bastos Duo playing their entire album ‘Essencia Urbana’.
The evening will showcase Tangos and Fados music, the latter of which began in the early 1700s. Its writing style is infused with a sentiment of resignation, fatefulness and melancholia.
Fernando Pessoa was born in the late 19th century and died a mere 47 years later in 1935. His poetry is as famous as the approximate 75 names he published under. These alternate names were referred to as heteronyms as rather than simply being a false name, Pessoa imagined whole characters for them; each with different views, writing styles and biographies.
‘We Are Born At Sunset’ is the title and first line of a Pessoa poem. It explores the eternal singularity of human nature; and serves as the title for the show itself. From this and further works of Pessoa, Portuguese violist Raquel Bastos and Australian pianist Cécile Elton have been inspired to perform this exclusive show as The Elton Bastos Duo. They will perform recitals and translated versions of Pessoa’s poems to allow the audience to fully understand the work of a man considered to be one of the greatest poets of the Portuguese language.
Their album, ‘Essencia Urbana’ will be performed in its entirety. It was released earlier this year and explores two distinct urban cultures; Tango of Buenos Aires and Fados of Lisbon.
Special guests joining the duo for the performance are Stephen Cuttriss on bandoneon, Chloe Williamson on double bass and Joe Fallon on guitar.
Complementing the music, international award-winning dancers Jose Camean and May Carreras, who will perform tango – which adds physical component to the music and poetic language of the night.
