Por Onde Fica a Primavera

Some instruments seem to be tailor-made for specific music genres. The Portuguese guitar, for instance, is undeniably a pivotal piece of fado’s identity. To such an extent that it often seems impossible it could survive on its own. That is why the efforts of Artur Paredes, Carlos Paredes, Pedro Caldeira Cabral or Ricardo Rocha in creating a repertoire for the instrument have been so fascinating and heroic, dignifying a popular instrument with a soloistic approach closer to that of classical music. What beats behind João Diogo Leitão’s Por Onde Fica a Primavera is something of a similar nature. Trained on the classical guitar, he then fell in love with viola braguesa (a traditional guitar, from north-west Portugal). Here he uses this instrument, which usually fuels local festivities and takes part of popular rituals, to explore the music through the lens of a contemporary composer. Seconds into the album and it is already obvious that this solo work is not something to dance to; and when Leitão gets to ‘Ato Segundo’ and ‘Ato Terceiro’, the links to Ricardo Rocha’s obsessive playing and to Filho da Mãe’s raw approach to classical guitar clearly establish that this is viola braguesa as we never heard it before. A brave record that unfolds new frontiers for a discreet but charming instrument.