It all started with a not-so-crazy idea by the whimsical Wes Anderson. For his film The Life Aquatic, the American director not only offered Seu Jorge a role, but asked that his singing sailor character cover David Bowie songs, solo, in Portuguese, to acoustic guitar. It is a feat that the Brazilian musician pulled off brilliantly, infusing saudade flavour and Latin charm into Bowie’s classics: in Rock’n’Roll Suicide, Five Years, Starman, Rebel Rebel and Life on Mars?, Seu Jorge kept the indefatigable melodic lines but changed some of the lyrics, creating original adaptations that were highly praised by the glam-rock legend himself. The exercise gave rise to an album of fifteen covers, recasting Bowie’s repertoire in bittersweet bossa hues. In concert, the charismatic singer willingly performs solo, but also plays alongside orchestras, as he will here with the Orchestre National d’Île-de-France—a musical event that promises to be not only exceptional, but magical.

Opening act: Faye Webster

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