In this quietly moving interpretation of “Ave Maria no Morro,” Brazilian icon Alaíde Costa is joined by Maria Bethânia and guitarist João Camarero for a version that strips Herivelto Martins’ 1942 classic down to its barest essentials: voice, guitar, and emotional clarity. Recorded on the 12th of October 2024, coinciding with the feast day of Nossa Senhora Aparecida, Brazil’s patron saint, the track takes on a reflective, almost devotional tone, free from sentimentality but full of feeling.

The song features on Costa’s new album Uma Estrela para Dalva, a tribute to the late Dalva de Oliveira, whose recordings helped define Brazil’s radio-era songbook. But Costa doesn’t aim to recreate Dalva’s dramatic flourishes… Now 90, she leans into nuance and restraint. Her performance is unadorned yet deeply expressive: each phrase delivered with quiet authority, shaped by decades of lived experience. Emotion is not pushed forward, but revealed in the space she allows it to unfold.

Bethânia, one of the most influential voices in Brazilian popular music, lends a grounding presence. Rather than overpowering the arrangement, she mirrors Costa’s tone, giving space to the silence between the notes. The interplay between their voices is conversational, almost liturgical.

João Camarero, a master of seven-string guitar, provides the only instrumental accompaniment. His playing is spacious and deliberate, drawing from the Brazilian choro and classical traditions but resisting the urge to embellish. The result is a sparse but deeply textured arrangement that opens a quiet emotional landscape

This recording is not just a tribute to Dalva de Oliveira, it is a meeting of generations, each bringing a different kind of authority to the song. Costa’s legacy stretches back to the formative years of bossa nova, while Bethânia’s voice helped define the Tropicalia movement. Camarero, a younger but deeply rooted artist, connects them musically across time.

“Ave Maria no Morro” is often heard as a song of idealised poverty and spiritual transcendence, set on the hillsides of Rio de Janeiro. In this version, however, that message is reframed as a grounded reflection; one that recognises hardship and grace as coexisting truths.

You can stream, listen to, or purchase Uma Estrela para Dalva, the latest release from Alaíde Costa, HERE