Monica Vasconcelos: Brazilian Freedom Songs at Howard Assembly Room

About

50 years ago, a military coup in Brazil marked the beginning of a long, repressive dictatorship. The crisis heralded one of the most creative periods in Brazilian popular music. Under heavy censorship, and with no political rights, composers and lyricists voiced their opposition in songs: songs with coded messages, songs of resistance, and life-affirming hymns that today stand as masterpieces.
Mônica Vasoncelos has been searching for the stories behind these songs and plays them with a team of leading musicians from Brazil and Britain including Brazilian singer and guitarist Ife Tolentino.