Valamar Blog

Cuba’s most popular female singer, Omara Portuondo, brought the hot rhythms of Cuba and the unforgettable atmosphere of the Buena Vista Social Club to the Pula Arena on 13 July. The combination of the best Cuban and Latin American music with Omara’s unique voice and stage presence sounded truly magnificent. Even after a musical career spanning 50 years, Omara was able to bring the overflowing Arena to its feet and establish an immediate connection with the more than 3,000 guests in the amphitheater.

The international public discovered Omara Portuondo thanks to the success of the film, The Buena Vista Social Club, taken from the name of a club in Havana that was a popular gathering place for Cuban musicians in the 1940s. Almost 50 years after the club closed, a project by the same name breathed new life into this piece of history, again brought together many Cuban musicians, and provided the basis for a very successful album in 1996 and the filming of the movie.

Omara sang a duet with Ibrahim Ferrer on the 1996 album, also entitled The Buena Vista Social Club. But that was just the beginning of their collaboration because she subsequently appeared on later albums and in the film. She recorded her latest album in 2008 singing duets with Brazilian singer Maria Bethania. Many of the songs from this album, but also Cuban hits, were heard at this outstanding concert. At every one of her appearances she awakens the deepest emotions among the audience, demonstrating a talent that is rarely encountered.