The recent passing of noted samba and bossa nova singer Astrud Gilberto has turned my thoughts to Brazil and especially to Rio de Janeiro. I fell madly in love with A Cidade Maravilhosa (marvelous city) half a century before I ever set foot there, when I saw Black Orpheus (Orfeu Negro) for the first time. The 1959 film, directed by French director Marcel Camus, plays out the tragic Greek love story of Orpheus and Eurydice in a modern favela (shantytown) overlooking Brazil’s legendary city. Along with the arresting visuals and pounding rhythms of Carnival, the film introduced to the world a New Beat called Bossa Nova, with a soundtrack of classics like “Mañha de Carnaval” and “A Felicidade” that to this day are beloved worldwide.
Highs and lows on the Dragons Teeth
Organising tramping expeditions to the South Island from the North are always a gamble. Plans must be set in motion far before forecasts are…