Sofia Ribeiro: DROM, New York, NY – Concert Review

On Thursday May 19th Portuguese singer Sofia Ribeiro presented for the first time in New York, her most recent production; “Ar”.

During an hour-long performance, Ms. Ribeiro was able to hold every breath of the audience thanks to her clear and wide-ranged voice, her smile, her down-to-earth stage presence, and of course, thanks to the impeccable arrangements and performance of her songs.

As soon as the music began, the audience stood still. Everyone was listening to the subtleties of detailed arrangements that highlighted the words that Ms. Ribeiro was singing.

Many of Ms. Ribeiro’s songs are based in poems written by her, or penned by renowned writers such as Florbela Espanca, Miguel Torga, and José Asunción Silva. Nonetheless, all the music is composed by Ms. Ribeiro and arranged by Colombian pianist and composer Juan Andrés Ospina.

In fact, the concert began with two poems, and one of them, “Súplica” by Miguel Torga, talks about sailing with no destination and ends with an unforgettable sentence: “Listening again to your voice would be like killing my thirst with salty water”.

The contrast between the truthfulness of the words and the minor mode music against Ms. Ribeiro’s sweet and clear voice, bewitched me.

I was also impressed by the togetherness and the extreme dynamic range conducted during an intimate piano duet. It was such a confidential interpretation that the audience doubted their applause after the solos, but finally broke into ovation.

During her show, Ms. Ribeiro took the audience for a walk amongst hip-hop-like, tango, choro, funk, and traditional jazz rhythms. However, the sound of Ms. Ribeiro’s band was homogeneous and balanced -to the point of perfection- despite the eclecticism of her music.

In fact, if it weren’t for the spontaneous solos and the intense emotions that Ms. Ribeiro’s dispatches to the audience, her performance would’ve been like listening to her record “Ar”.

During the DROM performance, Ms. Ribeiro’s band was comprised by Petros Klampanis in double bass, Marcelo Woloski in percussion, Magda Giannikou in accordeon, Ignacio Hernandez in guitar, Maria Manousaki in violin, and Juan Andrés Ospina in piano.

Sofia Ribeiro will be touring Europe during the summer/fall season.

—————————
For More Information Visit:
—————————
http://www.sofiaribeiro.com
http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/ar/id527269062