Several times awarded and acknowledged as the best classic guitar duo in th… Read Full Bio ↴Several times awarded and acknowledged as the best classic guitar duo in the world, the Sérgio & Odair Assad duo (also known as Duo Assad and The Assad Brothers) was formed by the brothers Sérgio Assad and Odair Assad at a very early age. Beginning to play the violão (acoustic guitar) at exactly the same time, they always studied with the same teachers and learned the same music and techniques and their exceptional functioning together derives of their profound understanding of each other, allied to a rare identification between brothers.

Eminent Brazilian erudite composers like Radamés Gnattali, Marlos Nobre, Edino Krieger, and Francisco Mignone have dedicated pieces to them and so did Roland Dyens, Nikita Koshkin, and Ástor Piazzolla. Their father, a mandolinist and chorão (choro genre player), initiated them in the mysteries of the violão in 1966. With all the family moving in 1969 to Rio de Janeiro, the two brothers took classical guitarist and lutenist Monina Távora (former Andrés Segovia disciple) as teacher for seven years. In 1973 they won the Brazilian Symphonic Orchestra competition for young soloists. In 1977 they recorded an LP for the first time with the Orquestra Armorial. They would record more than 21 solo albums in the duo's career and appear in important releases such as Yo Yo Ma's Soul of the Tango CD (1997). In 1979 they debuted in the U.S. Their start in Europe came with the winning of a major prize that same year at the "Rostrum of Young Interpreters" in Bratislava, Czechoslovakia (with the recording of a solo album). In 1983, having established their international career solidly, they settled in that continent. Performances (some of them with orchestra) throughout Scandinavia, Australia, Finland (Turku Music Festival, 1987), Great Britain, Turkey (Istambul festival, 1987), Taiwan, Luxembourg, Slovenia, Germany, Austria, Portugal, Greece, Poland, France (Paris, 1982, Les Musiques du Monde festival), Belgium, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Holland, Hong Kong, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Canada, Israel, Japan, Argentina, and Brazil followed. The duo played with the following orchestras, among others: Orquestra Sinfônica Brasileira, Adelaide Symphonic Orchestra (Australia), Buenos Aires Symphonic Orchestra (Argentina), RAI (Italy), and Belgium National Orchestra. In 1993 and 1994 they performed at the Carnegie's Weill Recital Hall in New York. In 1995, they toured North America, performing at Toronto's Ford Centre, Phoenix, Nashville, the Wolf Trap Foundation in Vienna, Virginia, and New York City. In the next year, they played at Pasadena's Ambassador Auditorium and in San Francisco, Seattle, Miami, and New York City.

Ausencias
Sérgio & Odair Assad Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Dói no peito, dói na alma, amigo
A saudade de um amor maior
Sabe , a vida quase sempre é um perigo
Só se vive o pior
Quando se perde o melhor

Dói no peito, dói na alma, amigo

A ausência de um amor total
Sabe, as vezes a felicidade vai embora
E mesmo sendo real
É preciso querer

Ver que a vida é mais que o sal
Mais que o amargo do perder
Mais que o doce do prazer de encontrar
Gotas no olhar
Luz para crer
Num novo amanhecer

Mas se dói ainda o peito amigo
A ausência desse amor maior
Deixa manso o coração ferido

Pra’ esquecer a dor
Na flor que não morreu

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Sérgio & Odair Assad's song "Ausências" speaks of the pain and sadness that comes with the absence of a great love in one's life. The singer expresses the heaviness of the feeling, explaining that it hurts not only the heart but also the soul. They talk about how life is often a dangerous path, where we only experience the worst when we lose the best. The singer acknowledges that sometimes even real happiness can leave us, and it takes a conscious effort to move past the loss and focus on the bigger picture.

The second half of the song touches on the theme of hope and resilience. The singer advises that we should see life as more than just salt (pain) or sweet (pleasure), but instead as a combination of both. The lyrics refer to "drops in the eye" that bring light and hope for a new dawn. The final line of the song suggests that even when the pain lingers, and the heart is wounded, the absence of that great love can make it gentle enough to let go of the hurt and move on.

Line by Line Meaning

Dói no peito, dói na alma, amigo
The feeling of missing a complete love is painful and heart-wrenching, my friend.

A saudade de um amor maior
The yearning for a greater love is what's causing this pain.

Sabe, a vida quase sempre é um perigo
You know, life is often perilous and tricky.

Só se vive o pior
We only experience the worst.

Quando se perde o melhor
When we lose what's best.

A ausência de um amor total
Absence of a complete love.

Sabe, as vezes a felicidade vai embora
You know, sometimes happiness walks away.

E mesmo sendo real
Even if it's real.

É preciso querer
You have to want to move on.

Ver que a vida é mais que o sal
Understand that life is more than what's obvious.

Mais que o amargo do perder
More than the bitterness of losing.