The album “Tordo com a Banda Sinfónica Portuguesa” features a selection of songs composed over 60 years, many with lyrics by José Carlos Ary dos Santos, according to Fernando Tordo. The musical arrangements were created by Lino Guerreiro and Valter Rolo, and the album was recorded during the COVID-19 pandemic, added the artist.
Included in the album is ‘Tourada’ (Ary dos Santos/Fernando Tordo), a song that won the 1973 RTP Song Festival. Fernando Tordo, a regular participant in the RTP festivals, competed in seven editions, winning solo in 1973 and again with the group Os Amigos in 1977 with “Portugal no Coração” (Ary dos Santos/Tordo).
The new album includes eight tracks with lyrics by José Carlos Ary dos Santos (1936-1984), all set to music by Fernando Tordo. These include ‘Cavalo à Solta’, which was part of the 1971 RTP festival, as well as ‘Estrela da Tarde’, ‘Novo Fado Alegre’, ‘O Amigo que eu Canto’, and ‘Se Digo Meu Amor’. Tordo began collaborating with the poet in 1968 and has recorded approximately 400 compositions with his lyrics.
The other songs on the album are solely authored by Fernando Tordo, both lyrics and music, including “Adeus Tristeza”, composed during his residence in the Azores from 1982 to 1986, ‘Viva Brel’, ‘Coisas da Malta’, and ‘Só Ficou o Amor Por Ti’.
The Portuguese Symphonic Band (BSF), which Fernando Tordo regards as “a magnificent example of the development of music education in our country,” was conducted by maestro Francisco Ferreira.
A live presentation of the album is scheduled for the 29th at Coliseu Porto, coinciding with its CD release and marking the start of celebrations for Tordo’s 60-year career and 77th birthday.
During the concert, two original tracks from a future series of four CDs titled ‘A Música nos Poetas Portugueses’ will be introduced. “The poets featured will be Fernando Pessoa and Eugénio de Andrade,” the musician revealed.
Discussing the current state of the music scene in Portugal, Fernando Tordo expressed, “There has always been a lot of music in Portugal, catering to all tastes. Currently, there is a significant increase in young people interested in music education, though I perceive a decrease in creativity that I believe will resolve itself with the end of a less favorable global cycle.”
Fernando Travassos Tordo, originally from Lisbon, was part of the Colégio Moderno choir as a boy. At 12, he began learning guitar and singing pop music, influenced by artists like Marini Marino, Cliff Richard, and his band The Shadows, as well as The Beatles.
In 1964, he joined the group Os Deltons, marking the start of his professional career. By 1966, he had replaced Carlos Mendes as the vocalist and lead guitarist for Os Sheiks.
His solo debut album ‘Tocata’ was released in 1972. Throughout his career, Tordo collaborated with musicians such as José Calvário, José Luís Gomes, and François Rauber, a pianist, composer, conductor, and orchestrator previously associated with Jacques Brel.
