On Monday 21 July, a concert entitled Música da vida took place at Troja Château in Prague. The Portuguese ensemble Sete Lágrimas performed under the artistic direction of Filipe Faria and Sérgio Peixoto, guiding the audience through family rites of passage, across all stages of life from birth to death.

The programme opened with a lullaby from Lombardy, San Giuseppe e la Madonna, and the Portuguese lullaby Dorme, dorme, meu menino. Already in the first numbers I was introduced to the pleasing contrasts of Iberian musical culture: on the one hand tender, lyrical passages with expressive declamation, on the other striking rhythmic patterns enriched by body percussion such as clapping and stamping, all in a refined manner. The songs were delivered by Filipe Faria and Sérgio Peixoto with smiles, ease and an evident joy in music-making.
 
The purity of their vocal delivery and their play with dynamic nuances shaped their performance throughout the evening. It was a joy to listen to them in songs celebrating love, such as Amor loco, which they themselves composed, in the Chinese song Bastiana, and also in the setting of the important poem A força de cretcheu by the Cape Verdean poet Eugénio Tavares.
 
The accompaniment to the songs was provided by double bassist Mário Franco together with the ensemble’s only harmony-instrument player, Tiago Matias, who during the programme showcased both the Baroque guitar and the vihuela. A distinctively Iberian colour was added to the pieces by a variety of percussion instruments played by Juan de la Fuente, with additional contributions from singer Filipe Faria.

Zuzana Dřízalová, KlasikaPLUS.cz, 22. 7. 2025