Classical music and theater
Portugal first shone during the Baroque period, thanks to composers such as Manuel Rodrigues Coelho, Duarte Lobo and above all Carlos de Seixas. A major musical figure and Portugal's greatest 18th-century harpsichord composer, the latter soon became a talented organist and outstanding teacher. A prolific composer, he wrote over 700 toccatas. Today, his works can be admired at Lisbon's National Library. At the turn of the 20th century, a new wave of composers emerged in the wake of pianist and composer José Vianna da Motta. Luis Freitas de Branco, who contributed to the recognition of Portuguese art music, as well as Fernando Lopes-Graça, Francisco de Lacerda and Ruy Coelho, all contributed to the development of their country's music. A pupil of Luis de Freitas Branco, Joly Braga Santos was the greatest composer of his generation, creating six symphonies, several operas and chamber music, as well as film scores.
For music lovers, Lisbon boasts several major venues dedicated to classical music. The Teatro Nacional de São Carlos, the city's main theater, had its heyday with the famous performances of La Traviata with Callas in 1958. Located in the historic center on a small, charming square, it offers above all quality shows at a low price, compared with other opera houses elsewhere in Europe. It's a great place to make new discoveries. The Teatro Nacional Dona Maria II, a neoclassical theater on Praça do Rossio, is another important theater in Lisbon. The Coliseu dos Recreios is a magnificent concert hall dating from 1890, which offers Lisboans recitals by great local and international classical musicians. The new Centro Cultural de Belém is home to the city's symphony orchestra and offers a rich and varied program, as does the not-to-be-missed Fondation Calouste Gulbenkian and its first-rate Orchestra Gulbenkian. Lovers of classical and contemporary dance will flock to the Teatro Luís de Camões, home to the Companhia Nacional de Bailado. The artistic offerings of the National Ballet, the Belém Cultural Centre and the Gulbenkian Foundation are world-class, and offer the opportunity to attend top-quality performances.
Fado
Fado has held a special place in the hearts of the Portuguese since the 19th century, when the rest of the world discovered its song in the streets of Lisbon. It generally expresses the sadness of the Portuguese people, the difficulties of life, but also hope. This nostalgic melody is the very expression of saudade, that vague à l'âme of the people charged with a spleen so difficult to translate. It has left a deep imprint on Portuguese customs, and this mixture of hope and melancholy is still found among the country's inhabitants today. In the middle of the last century, Fado was exported, notably under the impetus of the singer Amália Rodrigues, who would become known as the "Queen of Fado". She developed the aura of fado by interpreting the texts of great Portuguese poets such as Luís de Camões with her feverish voice. Subsequently, many fadists imitated her, enabling fado to endure to the present day. Over the last ten years, the younger generation of fado singers has evolved the style, incorporating different instruments or proposing more modern arrangements to this traditional music. Numerous fado houses offer you the chance to hear their melancholy music. In Lisbon's historic center, Fado in Chiado is a benchmark offering inspired singing, performed in turn by a female and a male voice, accompanied by a Portuguese guitar and a classical guitar, as tradition dictates. For a more elegant evening, choose Clube de Fado. Under superb vaulted ceilings, guitarist, composer and Fado performer Mario Pacheco has created a restaurant where live Fado is played. A place where artists will thrill you.
The city's jazz side
Although often reserved for the elite, there's no shortage of jazz fans in Lisbon. Few jazz artists have emerged from the local scene. Only the bassist Carlos Bica, with his poetic melodies, has succeeded in overtaking the local scene with his trio Azul. With five albums to their credit, the trio has gained international recognition. If you're looking for a classic jazz experience, the Hot Clube Portugal is an institution. Founded in 1948, the club has remained true to its roots. In this venue, next door to the historic club that burned down in 2009, some of the world's greatest jazz musicians have performed. Another club with jazz programming from the 1930s to the 1950s, Páginas Tantas has established itself as a comfortable and select venue. You'll come here to listen to the music and relax in a subdued atmosphere. The Alface Hall, also in Bairro Alto, just a minute's walk from the previous establishment, is a lively club offering live jazz every night. This café-concert hall may not look like much, but go there for the particularly warm atmosphere. You'll be enthralled by the excellent musicians interacting with the audience. Since 2006, the Out Jazz festival has offered free jazz concerts every Sunday from May to mid-September. Jazz em Agosto is a festival for jazz lovers, held in August near the Calouste Gulbenkian Garden. Finally, if you're looking for something a little more alternative, head to Damas, located in Rua da Voz do Operário. Very much in vogue, Damas offers concerts throughout the week, focusing on experimental jazz.
Lisbon Rock
The legendary Xutos e Pontapés with their fiery stage performances, or UHF, emblematic of the 1970s, have dominated the scene for several decades. Lately, the pop-rock of A Naifa, Blasted Mechanism and their otherworldly costumes, the instrumental group Dead Combo, or The Legendary Tigerman and the Wraygunn and their atypical universes have been making headlines, just like the original and unclassifiable António Variações, a meteorite of the 1980s. Maria João and Mario Laginha's discography should also be followed: the former has an exceptional voice, while the latter accompanies her with intelligence. For live music, head for Galeria Zé dos Bois. Part contemporary art gallery, part concert hall with basement club, ZDB boasts a strong international line-up. Big names such as Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth and Animal Collective have already played there. Lisbon is one of Portugal's prime venues for outdoor music festivals. The famous Rock in Rio Lisboa, inspired by the festival of the same name in Brazil, takes place every two years. It usually takes place in June.
Hip-hop, Kuduro and Kizomba, influences from Africa
From the second half of the 1990s, Lisbon suburbs such as Cova da Moura and Chelas, home to the majority of working-class African immigrants, began to make their presence felt, with hip-hop from Da Weasel, Boss AC and Conjunto Ngonguenha. Then, in the early 2000s, the new generation adopted a musical genre that had exploded in Angola: kuduro (literally meaning "hard ass", but also "difficult environment"), which draws its influences from rap. First introduced as a dance form in the late 1980s, kuduro has since evolved into an Afro-house style of music, combining electronic sounds with traditional elements from Angola's poorest population. Musical loops of break or funk play host to explicit lyrics recounting the days of the country's underprivileged populations. The lyrics are simple and full of humor and derision. They appeal not only to the dancers' legs, but also to their heads, since kuduro is also a social protest song launched from the slums. The group Buraka Som Sistema has been embodying the Portuguese version of kuduro since 2006.
Afro-house, kuduro, kizomba, baile funk, fado...: the music you hear when you go out in Lisbon makes for a totally new experience. If you frequent Lisbon clubs like Dock's Club, you won't be able to avoid afro-house, house music tinged with African rhythms. It's not strictly a Lusophone musical style, as it can be found in South Africa and other English-speaking African countries. In recent years, a veritable African electronic music scene has emerged in Portugal's capital. Kizomba is a musical style and dance originating in Angola, with its roots in semba, the ancestor of Brazilian samba, but also in typically Angolan music such as Angolan merengue, maringa and caduque. In the 1980s, the style evolved into kizomba, which has gained massive popularity in Lisbon over the last ten years. Lyrics are generally sung in Portuguese, sometimes in Cape Verdean Creole or Angolan. For an original and totally exotic experience, head to the Mwangolé or Chiado Club in the Alcantara district, two places that invite you to dance the night away. Havana Soul, a small but authentic bar along the Tejo River, also offers excellent kizomba in a relaxed setting. Barrio Latino is one of Lisbon's most popular dance venues. Located in Santos, along the Tagus River, one of Lisbon's liveliest nightlife districts, the atmosphere is guaranteed. Barrio Latino has two dance floors and the music varies from night to night. On Thursdays, the club often offers kizomba evenings. For an introductory course, Jazzy Dance Studios, one of the city's most popular dance schools, also offers its Sunday Sessions Jazzy, salsa and African dance classes every Sunday from 5pm. Whichever district you're in, it's not uncommon to find groups dancing the night away, with no particular style of music imposing itself, from Brazilian forró to African kuduro. Martim Moniz and the kiosks on Avenida da Liberdade are two popular weekend dance spots. In Lisbon, DJs are also in the habit of always playing small sessions of baile funk at parties. Carioca funk is a musical style born in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Its name is misleading, as it is entirely different from the funk of the United States. Gradually, the DJs at these parties began to play other black music rhythms, including Miami bass, rap and R'n'B. The freestyle influence of hip-hop also took hold at these funk balls, becoming a style in its own right.
Electronic music
Lovers of jet-setting, glitter and electronic music can explore the city's nightclubs. MusicBox and Lux Frágil are two popular spots offering a mix of international electronic hits. The latter's claim to fame is that it is co-owned by American actor John Malkovich. Located on Rua Nova do Carvalho, in the Cais do Sodré district, MusicBox is a nightclub, music stage, lounge and bar all rolled into one. To get through the wooden door, you'll have to wait in a long queue. The trick is to get to the early evening concert first. The club's program is eclectic, but quite cutting-edge. Another venue offering interesting music is Titanic Sur Mer, which hosts live music as well as DJ sets lasting well into the night. The venue is renowned for its samba (for which it offers classes) and for its musical workshops. Brunch Electronik is an open-air electronic music festival that takes place over 12 weeks in the middle of summer.
