Amália at the Olympia
Authors: Gray Lila Ellen , Yamada Keisuke , Galbraith Patrick W. , Bridges Rose , Michel Patrick , Roberts Martin , Hara Kunio , McCorkle Brooke , Johnson Henry , Lehtonen Lasse , Ohwada Toshiyuki , Brunt Shelley , Browning Barbara , Thayer Allen , McCann Brian , Hertzman Marc A. , Burns Mila , Grasse Jonathon , Pardue Derek , Sharp Daniel B. , Perrone Charles A. , Moehn Frederick J. , Hagen Ross , Silverman Carol , Bohlman Philip V. , Nye Sean , Marstal Henrik , Szemere Anna , Elliott Richard , Mazierska Ewa , Mutsaers Lutgard , Val Fernán del , Looseley David , Tomatis Jacopo , Yardumian Aram , Sonevytsky Maria , Gray Lila Ellen , Tochka Nicholas , Davidjants Brigitta , Rymajdo Kamila , Turner Graeme , Gibson Chris , Goold Lachlan , Renzo Adrian , Chapman Ian , Stratton Jon , Bannister Matthew , Johnson Henry , Jorgensen Darren , Encarnacao John , Beilharz Peter , Rodger Dianne , Green Ben , Brown Michael , Karlin Jason G. , Rónai András , Gradowski Mariusz , Fouce Héctor , Istvandity Lauren , Giuffre Liz , Rogers Ian 
Published: June 2023

The voice of Amália Rodrigues (1920-1999), the “Queen of Fado” and Portugal’s most celebrated diva, was extraordinary for its interpretive power, soul wrenching timbre, and international reach. Amalia à l’Olympia (1957) is an album made from recordings of her first performances at the fabled Olympia Music Hall in Paris in 1956. This album, which was issued for multiple national markets (including: France; USA; Japan; Britain; the Netherlands) catapulted Amália Rodrigues into the international limelight. During its time, this album held the potential for international listeners, outside of Portugal, to represent Portugal, while also standing in for cosmopolitanism, the glamorous city of Paris, and to present a sonorous voyage in sound.

This book introduces readers to the voice of Amália Rodrigues and to the genre of the Portuguese fado, offering a primer in how to listen to both. It unpacks this iconic album and the voice, sound, style, and celebrity of Amália Rodrigues. It situates this album within a historical context marked by cold war Atlanticist diplomacy, Portugal’s dictatorial regime, and the emergence of new forms of media, travel, and tourism. In so doing, it examines processes that shaped the internationalization of peripheral popular musics and the making of female vocal stardom in the mid-20th century.

The voice of Amália Rodrigues (1920-1999), the “Queen of Fado” and Portugal’s most celebrated diva, was extraordinary for its interpretive power, soul wrenching timbre, and international reach. Amalia à l’Olympia (1957) is an album made from recordings of her first performances at the fabled Olympia Music Hall in Paris in the spring of 1956. This album, re-issued for multiple national markets (including: USA; France; Italy; The Netherlands; Great Britain; South Africa; Japan), catapulted Amália Rodrigues into the international limelight. The venue of the Olympia was key to the shaping of international musical stardom during the mid-twentieth century. During its time, this album held the potential for international listeners, outside of Portugal, to stand in for Portugal while also standing in for cosmopolitanism, the glamorous city of Paris, and to present a sonorous voyage in sound. This book uses this album as a prism through which to explore interlinked media, processes and networks which shaped the internationalization of peripheral popular musics, the formation of cosmopolitan musical publics, and the performance of female vocal celebrity in the mid-twentieth century. It situates this album within a historical context marked by cold war Atlanticist diplomacy, the Portuguese Estado Novo regime, and the emergence of new forms of media, travel, and tourism. At the same time, it offers a primer in how to listen to the genre of the Portuguese fado and to the voice of Amália Rodrigues.