The announcement was made today by Editora Mais 5, in collaboration with Montepio Associação Mutualista, promoting the ‘José Afonso – Utopia’ Cycle at Espaço Atmosfera in Lisbon.
On July 30, a discussion will present the reissue of José Afonso’s album ‘Como Se Fora Seu Filho’, while on August 20, the documentary ‘Andarilhar’ will be screened, marking 50 years since April 25.
For the first event, Editora Mais 5 invites the public for a “conversation focused on the timelessness of music, the utopia of humanist thought, and the need for dialogue in the current moment, and on the role of music in society,” according to a statement from the publisher.
Editor Nuno Saraiva will lead a discussion centered on the album’s themes and the societal roles artists can play.
The session will also include the opportunity to listen to the new edition of ‘Como Se Fora Seu Filho’, on vinyl/LP, featuring new mastering by Florian Siller.
On August 20, the second event will feature the film ‘Andarilhar’ by Abel Rosa. Filmed in April 2024, marking the 50th anniversary of the Carnation Revolution at an artistic residency in Faial, the film “reinterprets and reinvents” José Afonso and “documents the process of rediscovery of the singer-songwriter’s musical and socio-political work, with musical director Tiago Correia-Paulo, PS Lucas, Lavoisier, Nástio Mosquito, Selma Uamusse, Nacho Vegas, and other artists and technicians”, who revisited the universe of the creator of ‘Grândola, vila morena’, inspired by the concert at Coliseu dos Recreios, Lisbon, in January 1983.
The final event is for those unable to attend the ‘Wanderer Songs’ collective concert at Tivoli in January this year: on August 27, the concert film ‘Wanderer Songs’, recorded live at Teatro Faialense, will be shown, “the result of the artistic residency documented in the film ‘Andarilhar'”, the statement adds.
All three sessions will take place at Espaço Atmosfera, Rua Castilho, at 18:30.
Both the reissue of ‘Como se Fora Seu Filho’ and this “evocation of José Afonso in the 21st century”, which is the ‘Wanderer Songs’ project, “demonstrate the vitality and importance of José Afonso’s songs, as well as the great importance of authors, composers, and artists as spokespeople for humanism in our society,” the presentation of the cycle concludes.
The complete works of José Afonso are being reissued by Mais 5, with the release of new formats, in complete editions, including classic albums like ‘Cantigas do Maio’, ‘Venham mais cinco’, and ‘Coro dos Tribunais’, as well as the ‘Ao Vivo no Coliseu’ concert from 1983, with all speeches and songs.
The reissue will be completed later this year with the planned release of the album ‘Galinhas do Mato’, the last work by the creator of ‘Maio, Maduro Maio’.
The initiative, led by publisher Mais 5, has the support of the family and the Associação José Afonso (AJA).
The goal is to ensure José Afonso’s work is accessible to new generations and can be appreciated in its entirety, the publisher concludes.
