Ostatnia aktualizacja: 2020-04-22. Autor: Milena
A few days ago Cristóvam played his first concert in Poland and charmed the audience.
And it all started in Terceira over a year ago.
Last year, as I’ve already mentioned to you, there were two Polish guys in Terceira. They were doing Erasmus, we were climbing together. One day one of them sent me a message: “Milena, have you heard about the concert on the 8th of June in the theater? Cristóvam will be singing”. I didn’t know who Cristóvam was, I switched on the YouTube. In the middle of the first song that I listened to I already knew I would go to the concert.
Teatro Angrense, the main theater in Angra (and in the whole Terceira), was full. 650 seats taken to a man. Just before the beginning I got to know that Cristóvam is an artist from Terceira, a song writer and their performer. And as it usually happens on the island – he is a friend of a friend. I admired the interior of the theater (yes, theaters are “my” places), the scenography – and the concert started.
At the concert I was sitting as if I was charmed.
And together with me – the rest of the audience. From the stage there was pure magic flowing. During the concert the artist was saying “thank you” to each person who helped him get where he is now. People who helped him make his first steps, first records, who were there when he needed them. It was so pleasant, the atmosphere of happiness and gratefulness infected all the viewers.
After the concert – a music album, an autograph, exchange of impressions after the concert, asking acquaintances who the artist is. “Yes, he’s my big brother”. This island is really small.
And later the record played round and round in the car – until the CD player stopped working.
And my thought: I have to bring him to Poland!
I wanted to both present in Poland music that entranced me and bring to my country a piece Terceira, my new home. I wanted to share what’s important to me – both in terms of art and life. One thought has quickly turned into a big dream which I wanted to make come true.
And later, in September, there was the official record premiere and the second concert, this time in Teatro Alpendre. A much smaller theater, on the stage only Cristóvam with a guitar and a harmonica, at some moment also with his friend who joined him with another guitar. Intimate atmosphere, a sensation of closeness. It could almost seem that the artist plays for each of the viewers separately.
Basically I don’t remember when I mentioned to the artist for the first time that I would like him to play in Poland. Was it after the first concert? After the second? I don’t know. I only remember one barbecue, when we talked about it more seriously. And I remember fixing the details. And translating the artist’s biography to Polish. My first e-mails and phone calls to the potential organizers. And even more work. And finally happiness that the concert will happen. And the interview Cristóvam – Being vulnerable in front of other people shortly before the concert.
And finally:
On the 13th of August, 2019 Cristóvam played his first concert in Poland!
And he charmed the Polish audience.
The concert took place in DK Śródmieście in Warsaw. It’s a place that I adore. It has a great team (it’s fantastic to work with them), a great stage (it’s pure pleasure to play on it) and a great audience (it always welcomes the artists with arms wide open). It was a great experience this time as well.
During the concert I was smiling in the darkness.
I was listening to the music from the record „Hopes & Dreams” and from the one that’s being prepared, to the stories about the songs, to warm thank-you words for me and the organizers. And I was just smiling. I was looking at other smiling faces, at people swaying, tapping the beat. I was listening to the chores repeated by everyone, to the volleys of applause – and I was happy.
There were a few people close to me on the concert – and it was so nice that they showed up! There were also people that I don’t know at all – and they were also delighted! That was a big reward – seeing so many happy faces.
Cristóvam was also happy.
He’s an artist who appreciates each concert and each viewer. Who’s happy to have a chance to share his art and to see that somebody gets moved by this art. I think he was waiting for the concert in Warsaw as much as I was. It was both his first concert in our country and his first visit to Poland. He started learning Polish from a word “dojrzewające” (no comments, maybe once you’ll hear that story on a concert) and at the end he could already read in the subway “Świętokrzyska”. I enjoyed seeing his reaction to the concert and to Poland.
It’s difficult for me to say more about the concert itself, it brought too many emotions for me. But I asked a few of the viewers for sharing their opinions. Let them be the summary.
„Cozy, even intimate atmosphere of the event made me sorry to have to come back home. I will remember the songs sung with warm voice in a dark concert hall for a long time. But the concert was exceptional mainly because the artist himself: witty, eloquent, with a distance to himself”.Kasia
„I didn’t know Cristóvam’s music before. I listened to a few songs on Spotify on the day of the concert and I had a positive attitude. But the positive energy and the contact with the audience during the concert combined with technically very well performed songs made me have a great time”.Mikołaj
„The artist was able to make a journey out of the concert, and he took with him to the journey all the listeners”
„I can admit that when I was buying a ticket to Cristóvam’s concert, I didn’t know his work. Earlier I listened to literally one song on the YouTube and of course I liked it 🙂When I sat down on my seat in DKS and heard the first composition accompanied only by guitar sound in a very cozy atmosphere, I was charmed. His songs are so soothing for the heart and soul that when I closed my eyes while listening to one of them, I didn’t want it to finish.
Thanks to the personal stories told between the songs the artist was able to make a journey out of the concert, and he took with him to the journey all the listeners. Thanks to that, each person in the hall could even in a small extent get to know the singer.
I hope that it wasn’t his last concert in Poland and I can’t wait for the next one.
Best regards”
Kasia P.W.
„I had a great pleasure to participate in a Warsaw concert of Cristóvam, an artist from a Portuguese island Terceira. An event so nice, so warm, that one can go ahead and say: family-like. The music part – phenomenal! Although I’ve been to his first music in the Azores, I still had very positive feelings. I would love to go to his next concert in Poland!”
Marcin
„In fact, it wasn’t just a concert, but it was also a story”
„Before the concert I didn’t know Cristóvam, I listened to only one song and decided to come. I really liked the concert, the atmosphere was great and Cristóvam was introducing us to his world by his music. The vocal and the guitar, and the harmonic were very good and really moved me. In fact, it wasn’t just a concert, but it was also a story, because Cristóvam was making an introduction before each song – such honest, natural. I’d love to go to the next concert”.
Małgorzata Wiewiórkowska
I am grateful.
I am grateful to Cristóvam that he trusted me and believed in my crazy idea, and persistently worked with me to actualize it.
I am grateful to Darek Sikorski and the whole DK Śródmieście team also for their trust, openess to the unknown and artistic sensitivity – and in the result for making it possible to accomplish this beautiful project.
I am grateful to my family and my friends for their help in organizational things: correcting my translations so that they would sound „more Polish”, dreaming together about bringing experiences from Terceira to Poland, mental support in the moments of doubt, sharing their home and their heart.
I am grateful to all the closes ones and the ones who are more far away, and to the unknown for showing up at the concert and making this evening so special.
And I am grateful to… the world! For giving us so much good and beauty.