By Maíra Amorim, Contributing Reporter
RIO DE JANEIRO – Alceu Valença, the master of “forró” – the popular Northeastern Brazilian dance, and music which accompanies it – is going to present his new album, “Ciranda Mourisca”, in Circo Voador on Saturday, May 23rd.
Alceu was born on small town at the “sertão”, the arid landscape from Pernambuco, a state in the northeast of the country. He moved to Recife, the state’s capital, where he studied law, and then moved to Rio in 1971, when he decided to become a musician. He has made his home and career in Rio, but his different backgrounds have established a plurality that has become his mark.
The genre that he is most associated with is forró, but there are several other influences that can be heard in his songs such as African music, regional rhythms like maracatu, frevo, embolada and – rock’n’roll. The result is a mix of modernity and tradition sounds, with universal and regional appeal, that has been pleasing people for the last 30 years.
On the new disc, Alceu experiments with the acoustic format: three guitars and percussion and shows songs like “Pétalas” (Petals), “Deusa da Noite” (Night Godess) and “Iris”. “Ciranda Mourisca” has had a great reception from critics, praising the artist’s capacity of re-inventing himself while remaining faithful to his origins.
On saturday, he is going to be accompanied by the band formed by Paulo Rafael (guitar), Hisachi Honda (acoustic guitar), Mauricio Oliveira (bass), Tovinho (keyboards), Cássio Cunha (drums), Jean Dumas and Edwin (percussion).
Classics such as “Morena tropicana”, “La Belle du jour”, “Pela ruas que andei” and “Táxi lunar” are confirmed on the set list. The great thing about Alceu’s concerts is that the artist has the ability to gather an audience from different generations, from those who have followed him since the beginning of his career, in the 1970s, to those who learned who he was recently.
Alceu Valença presents “Ciranda Mourisca”
Circo Voador – 10 PM
Rua dos Arcos S/N° – Lapa
Tel.: (21) 2533-0354
R$25 (with student card) and R$50 (full ticket)