In addition to a slide show of the northern Spain portion of our tour, I show some video clips I shot of a performance of fado music at a club in Porto.

First, here is my slide show. For the best viewing experience, use a desktop computer, turn up the speakers and view on full screen by clicking on the symbol in the lower left corner of the YouTube screen after the show begins.

While we were in Porto, our group visited Ideal Clube de Fado, a cozy night club, to hear Portuguese fado music. As the club brochure states, “The Ideal Clube de Fado is a guild of artists distinguished by their dedication to the preservation and dissemination of Traditional Fado, the unique Portuguese musical style.” This music was added to UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage List, in 2011.

“Fado” translates to “destiny.” As I had mentioned previously, many Portuguese have left their country for a better life elsewhere, and more live in other countries than in Portugal. There is a long history of this, and families are used to members leaving home and never coming back. Fado music tells these stories, so the music is melancholy and very emotional.

Fado performances aren’t scripted or repeated in the same way each night. On stage, the fado singer chooses the fados he or she wants to sing and combines them with the traditional fado music that best matches. In Traditional Fado, only the songs have names, and you can add different poems to each one.

(For all photos, click on the image for a full screen view.)

We were captivated by the performances of both the female and male singer we heard.  Here are two clips of my favorite:

As we concluded our tour, one last photo was taken of our wonderful group and leader, Serena. What a fabulous tour it was!

Coming up next: TERRIFIC TORONTO