'A spectrum of emotions': Lucia Micarelli and Leo Amuedo perform 'Saudade' at Bayou Theater
Classical violinist and vocalist Lucia Micarelli and Latin Grammy-nominated guitarist Leo Amuedo said their new album, “Saudade,” is much like their performance—full of a spectrum of emotions, with the intention of simply making the audience feel something. The pair will perform at the Bayou Theater at University of Houston-Clear Lake on Friday, Oct. 20, showcasing their diverse influences including jazz, classical, Americana and folk, woven together with Amuedo’s trademark passion and technical expertise.
The word “Saudade,” Micarelli explained, is a Portuguese word that reflects their love of Brazilian and Latin music, but also doesn’t really have a translation. That's part of the reason why they felt the word was the best fit for their album's vibe.
“We chose this word because it means a lot of things, just as our music is a mix of things,” she said.
“’Saudade’ means something like, nostalgia, longing, sadness, melancholy—just a lot of emotions,” she explained. “And on this record, we have love songs; some are Americana and some are folk love songs, but some are jazz standards. Some are classic, older Brazilian instrumental tunes, and then we have songs Leo and I take from other genres and change the style and approach and made it into something else.”
All of it, she continued, is about looking back in a way with these instrumentals and even folk songs, and reinventing it and bringing it into the modern day.
“At least through our lens, we look back at it with a kind of nostalgia,” she said. “We are drawn to emotional material and emotional lyrics. The whole album isn’t sad, but ‘Saudade’ has so many meanings, and a lot of songs we have are connected to that word. We want our music to be warm, inviting, and comfortable, so that you want to get cozy by a fire with your friends. This word is a good way to sum all that up.”
Amuedo, who was nominated for a Latin Grammy in 2020 in the “Best Instrumental Album” category for his work on the album, “Leonardo Amuedo plays Daniel Figueiredo,” and won Latin Grammys for contributing to other projects in 2013 and 2009, said that any time he plays at any show, all he wants is for people to feel something.
“What exactly they will feel is out of my hands, but I hope they feel something good from the music I play,” he said. “I like it when people talk to me after the show, but if they say they like my technique, that doesn’t mean much to me. But if they say my music made them cry, or it made them feel something very strongly, that is the achievement for me.”
Micarelli said the hope to convey emotion to the audience is their shared purpose in music making.
“We play the music we love that moves us one way or another, and we hope it moves people, too,” she said. “That’s why music is essential in a world where it might seem like the arts might not be essential. It’s a space to explore feelings and humanity, which is hard to express those feelings in normal life. So, we hope to create a warm, loving environment that feels safe for people to feel a lot of feelings and be happy they came to see the show.”
For more information about upcoming events at the Bayou Theater, or to purchase tickets, visit www.uhcl.edu/bayou-theater/