Her greatest mystery is the definition of her soul as a Fado singer, given … Read Full Bio ↴Her greatest mystery is the definition of her soul as a Fado singer, given she grew up away from the "family" of Fado. That soul is revealed in her intelligent voice, in her rare timbre, in the way the words sound so organic, syllable by syllable, note by note… The poems, the music set a mood for the story that is being sung; the instrumental accompaniment further underscores the intuition of the Fado singer, shaping the voice to the meaning of the words, to the musical improvisation. Together, these elements make the Art of Fado. It only appears when there is a soul. If there is a soul. Aldina's personality is entirely within her performing abilities. Everything in her art becomes immediately original, in a shockingly simple way. Aldina Duarte believes. Aldina Duarte makes us believe. Aldina Duarte began working at 20 in a newspaper. Then she worked in radio. She was a backing singer in an art school band. She performed in a film, Manuel Mozos's Xavier, where she sang the only Fado she had ever known, Rua do Capelão, one of Amália Rodrigues' greatest hits. Later, she started listening to Fado in a venue where she first came across Beatriz da Conceição, one of the genre's classic divas. They spoke of Fado, of life as a Fado singer. Aldina became enamoured of all she heard; asked for her advice, heard her speak of everything that means anything in Fado. She wished to sing Fado. She spent her days listening to records, her nights listening to singers, her months reading and memorizing poems. She sang in a stage play. Later she sang live during Lisbon's June celebrations; then she accepted an invitation for a TV variety show where she only lasted three programmes, realising it wasn't the road she wanted to take. It all suddenly fit into place when she sang, in a residency at a prestigious Lisbon theatre. Once a month, they would invite their favourite Fado singers and actors who would do poetry readings. The residency was often favourably mentioned in the press, audiences flocked.
Then Aldina was invited to sing nightly in a Fado venue; it was as if she had passed a tough entrance exam into a Fado school. She respected and maintained the rituals she had always found distinctive and beautiful about Fado: a black shawl, a black dress, silence, diffuse lighting. Everything she had ever loved about Fado. Her success led to invitations to sing in other Fado venues, to guest in concerts. One day she was invited to sing abroad, in the Piccolo Teatro of Milan; to sing Fado in a play about poet Fernando Pessoa, written by novelist and essayist Antonio Tabucchi and directed by lead actor Giancarlo Dettori, director Lamberto Puggelli and the Master, Giorgio Strehler. The experience helped shape what was to become her attitude towards Fado, leading her to be more careful about what she sang, and how she sang it. Besides singing professionally at the Senhor Vinho venue, Aldina has worked in the the Portuguese Cinemathèque - Cinema Museum and is currently a researcher at EMI Music Portugal where she is organizing the company's immense archives of Portuguese music - much of which is made up of Fado recordings. Beginning 2004, Aldina Duarte released her debut album “Apenas o Amor”. Since then she has been performing concerts in Portugal, Spain, France, Morocco, Italy, Belgium, Austria and The Netherlands. “Apenas o Amor” since its release has been referred as one of the best albums of 2004 by the Portuguese press. Her second cd "Crua" was released in January of 2006.The album was produced by João Monge who was also responsible for writing the lyrics... And now, 2008, the third album "Mulheres ao Espelho"...

Quase Lembrança
Aldina Duarte Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Aparece de repente
O silêncio aprisionado
Numa voz inconsciente
Que no fundo, é sempre fado
Numa voz inconsciente
Que no fundo, é sempre fado

Anda em mim a naufragar

Uma coisa mais intensa
Não se pode revelar
Sem que a dôr não apareça
Não se pode revelar
Sem que a dôr não apareça

Afastei o vento norte
Tive medo da razão
Lado a lado com a sorte
Encontrei meu coração
Lado a lado com a sorte
Encontrei meu coração

Afinal o tempo avança
Vagamente, sem parar
Nessa voz quase lembrança
Tudo nasce devagar

Nessa voz quase lembrança
Tudo nasce devagar

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Aldina Duarte's song Quase Lembrança suggest the universal theme of longing for something or someone that has been lost, but with acceptance of its inevitability. It begins with the sudden appearance of a trapped silence, which is personified as an unconscious voice that carries the essence of fado, a Portuguese musical genre that embodies the sorrow and melancholy of the human condition. The imagery of being shipwrecked symbolizes a deep and intense feeling, which cannot be revealed without pain. The singer acknowledges the fear of reason, as if logic is a hindrance to true emotions. As she navigates through life, fate and chance lead her to discover her heart's desire, and with the passage of time, she accepts the gradual emergence of what has become almost a memory.

The final chorus sums up the essence of the song, as the singer reflects on time and the slow birth of her almost forgotten feeling. The song speaks to the universality of human emotion, the journey of self-discovery, and acceptance of what cannot be changed. The style and sound of fado emphasize this message, adding layers of emotion to the simple yet profound lyrics.

Line by Line Meaning

Aparece de repente
Suddenly appears

O silêncio aprisionado
The trapped silence

Numa voz inconsciente
In an unconscious voice

Que no fundo, é sempre fado
Which ultimately is always fado

Anda em mim a naufragar
I feel like I'm sinking

Uma coisa mais intensa
A more intense feeling

Não se pode revelar
That cannot be revealed

Sem que a dôr não apareça
Without the pain showing up

Afastei o vento norte
I pushed away the north wind

Tive medo da razão
I was afraid of reason

Lado a lado com a sorte
Side by side with luck