Maria Bethânia: Imitação da VIda

A few twinkling lights can now be seen where there used to be a dark stage. The ominous drums lead into the piano introduction to Chico Buarque and Edu Lobo's waltz "Beatriz." The presence of tonight's act is anxiously anticipated. Instead of her figure, we hear a strong voice dominating the entire hall.

Ninguém sabe quem sou eu
Também já não sei quem sou
Eu sei bem que o sofrimento
De mim até se cansou
Na imitação da vida
Ninguém vai me superar No one knows who I am
I even don't know who I am
I do know it well that suffering
Has even got tired of me
In the imitation of life
No one tops me.

Batatinha's words to "Imitação da Vida" are the first words the audience hears. Applause uselessly tries to overpower the voice, but the Queen Bee, as Bethânia is known, is almost bigger than life. The beat picks up and "Beatriz" turns into "Rosa dos Ventos," the same Chico Buarque song that named another Bethânia show. That was 1971 at Teatro da Praia. Now we are at Carnegie Hall. We finally see Bethânia's triumphant stage entrance. The audience is delirious.

Imitação da Vida was conceived as Bethânia's 25th anniversary career celebration in 1996. The only and significant difference between what Brazilians saw and heard and this Carnegie Hall performance was the absence of Fernando Pessoa's outstanding poetry that beautifully wove together the music in this album. The poetry of Fernando Pessoa had already been a noticeable presence in other Bethânia albums. Here, however, his poems share the stage with Bethânia. All poetry in this double CD set was written by Fernando Pessoa and his heteronyms Álvaro de Campos and Ricardo Reis (the other heteronym Alberto Caeiro is not represented in this recording). Some of his poems were even set to music by Roberto Mendes and Sueli Costa. The careful combination of music and poetry here is like nothing else Bethânia has ever done. Upon hearing certain songs prefaced by Fernando Pessoa's poetry, I am fooled into thinking that music and poetry were written for each other. Take, for example, Gonzaguinha's "Grito de Alerta." Bethânia precedes that song with Cícero Nunes and Aldo Cabral's "Mensagem" and two texts talking about love letters. It is hard to believe that music and poetry were written at such different time. Magical moments such as that are repeated throughout both CDs. What makes Imitação da Vida even more endearing is the superior recording sound and arrangements created by Jaime Alem. Old songs sound new, as with "Rosa dos Ventos" and "Gita." Even some songs from Âmbar, from which these CDs draw most of the material, have better performances and arrangements, e.g., "Iluminada."

Liner notes contain several photos of Bethânia and all poems in the CDs. Lyrics, however, are not included. If you were not at Carnegie Hall that magic evening, this CD is indispensable. Better yet, one way or another, paraphrasing the immortal poet Vinícius de Moraes, Bethânia's Imitação da Vida is fundamental.

Click to enlarge cover

Egídio Leitão