Vera Mantero Vera Mantero et Gabriel Godoi jouent Caetano Veloso

Dancer and choreographer Vera Mantero, flanked with guitarist Gabriel Godoi, sings Caetano Veloso. This recital, a love triangle between Portugal and Brazil, is conducted with minimal movement in an effort to highlight the purity of sung poetry.

To Vera Mantero, voice is as important as movement, especially when her singing conquers such a poetic sphere, as is the case during this tribute to Caetano Veloso. Particularly popular in Brazil and Portugal, Veloso was one of the artists who, along with João Gilberto, Gilberto Gil, and so many others, revolutionized popular music in Brazil. Veloso’s career was a long and winding road, as he ventured from samba and bossa nova into funk and reggae, embracing blues, rock, and psychedelic music along the way. His songs have a remarkably wide emotional repertoire. Some of his texts even landed him in prison followed by an exile in London under Brazil’s military dictatorship. This no-frills tour de chant was created in Lisbon for the 2000 edition of the WAY Festival. No décor, no costumes, no specific lighting. No staging, either. All that matters is the music and the singer’s voice, which highlights her impressive range and impresses a particular texture onto Veloso’s poetry. Guitarist Gabriel Godoi has been sharing the stage with Vera Mantero since 2007.