It is not surprising that Portugal discovered the poems of Slauerhoff (1898-1936). The life of this Dutch ship's doctor, writer and poet was characterized by a violent feeling of unrest, which was expressed in a ceaseless search for remote worlds and distant, strange writers. Slauerhoff was also very impressed by the Portuguese culture. In poems with Portuguese titles such as Saudade, Vida Triste
… and Angustia, he describes sentiments and characters that fit in the tradition of fado. On the initiative of José Melo, president of the Círculo de Cultura Portuguesa na Holanda, the Portuguese poet Mila Vidal Paletti, who lives in the Netherlands, has painstakingly translated some of Slauerhoff's poems. Melo also knew without a doubt who could best interpret Slauerhoff's fados: the fado singer of our time, Crista Branco and her regular accompanist and composer Custódio Castelo. The album Cristina Branco Canta Slauerhoff was recorded in Slauerhoff's hometown Leeuwarden. As a bonus, Cees Nooteboom reads the poem O Engeitado. For fans of Slauerhoff or fado music, this album is a must: a beautiful voice and ditto music. (SvdP)more
