AMG Review of At the Olympia Theatre

Stephen Cook
All Music Guide

"The Voice of Portugal" is heard here from a 1956 concert recorded at Paris' ~Olympia Theatre. One of the most important of Portugal's fado singers (the fado tradition emanates from 19th century Lisbon and is an urban café style born in part from African-Brazilian origins), Amalia Rodrigues came to prominence during the Second World War -- especially in Brazil and throughout South America -- and maintained her fame into the 1990s. Having just begun her recording career a few years prior, Rodrigues broke internationally with the version of "Coimbria" heard here (Coimbria is a Portuguese university town that spawned its own brand of the fado). And while she would go on to cut around 170 albums, some featuring her in a pop mode with orchestral backing, Rodrigues can be heard here in optimal environs, with just the sound of her passionate voice, a fado guitar duo, and hundreds of adoring fans. A highlight of the Rodrigues catalog.