An exhibition on the Portuguese ‘queen of fado’, Amália Rodrigues

In 1920 the voice of Portugal was born. Her name: Amália Rodrigues.

A new exhibition focussing on the musician’s star-spangled life, titled ‘Ah Amália – Living Experience’, is opening in the Portuguese capital and promises to spotlight the fado singer as fans have never seen her before.

“The main aim of this experience is also to celebrate Amália (and) to honour her in a very contemporary language,” said Sofia Moura, the general director of the production company responsible for the exhibition, SP Entertainment.

“This is probably the most contemporary and boldest tribute ever paid to Amália Rodrigues and it’s precisely because we want her not to be forgotten and we want to make Amália known to all kinds of audiences, especially young people.”

The production company used new technologies to tell the story of the artist who died exactly 25 years ago on 6 October and popularised the musical form of fado. This is a genre of music originated from Lisbon that is characterised by mournful lyrics and melodies.

Before her departure, Amália performed on international stages, appeared in theatre and cinema, wrote poetry and even served as an unofficial ambassador for Portuguese culture.

“To know Amália is to know exactly these various dimensions of Amália,” Moura added.

“Amália is much more than the queen of fado, the voice of Portugal. Obviously we owe her that. Fado is what it is today thanks to Amália, who took fado from the streets of Lisbon to the big international stages.

“But Amália is inspiration, is poetry.”

The exhibition is comprised of eight interactive rooms and features 360º video-mapping, the artist’s estate, virtual reality and a hologram.

In the first room, visitors are presented with images and information about the stages around the world where Amália performed, followed by scenes and interactive content that transports viewers to Lisbon’s popular neighbourhoods and fado houses.

There is also a room of mirrors, a space dedicated to the four seasons, and a small auditorium where you can see the full-scale hologram of Amália performing on one of the world’s most impressive stages — the Olympia in Paris.