WHAT'S THAT SONG?
“Construção” by Chico Buarque
The urban landscape is revealed block by block and we hear “Construção” — Construction — by Chico Buarque, yet another artist who was exiled from Brazil under the dictatorship. Upon his return in 1970, he used the growing city for his inspiration, commenting as always on social and political issues in Rio de Janeiro.
WHAT'S IN A BRAZILIAN?
It's time for a history lesson, but instead of a blackboard and chalk we have a cast of colourful characters from every corner of the globe entering the stage.
There are Europeans, Arabs, Asians (did you know Brazil has the largest population of Japanese people outside Japan?) and Africans, thousands of whom were brought here as slaves (slavery was abolished in Brazil in 1888).
The forest is replaced by sugarcane plantations, before a patchwork pattern forms beneath these varied immigrants' feet. The message is that Brazil has taken this diverse ethnic mix and integrated them into one.
ELASTIC SURGERY
These particular humans hail from an indigenous community in the Amazon town of Parintins. Together, they begin fashioning something that initially resembles a giant spider's web but soon forms into three pyramidical structures that represent traditional huts.
The whole thing is made of a canvass of thousands of elastic bands. Remember that word gambiarra? The art of making something from nothing. This is a perfect example.
This concept was initially conceived using "a fishing weight and sewing elastic", according to Mariana Nagem, the assistant creative director.
BACK TO WHERE IT ALL BEGAN
The stage is enveloped by a projection of what looks like various-sized balls of shimmering tumbleweed. Or possibly raindrops and clouds - it's very much down to your personal interpretation. It represents "the birth of life". Deep.
It seems we've progressed a few million years while pondering that because some living creatures have entered the fray. Large spider-like puppets with aluminium legs, who are joined by a swarm of yellow butterflies. And then, some humans...
BRAZIL'S OLYMPIANS
While the crowd are lapping up that spectacular start, we're joined by scores of athletes - young and old - draped in Brazilian flags. Five of the 10 sportspeople are volleyball players, including two-time Olympic champion Giovane Gávio. The rest are promising youngsters, some as young as 11. Brazil's rich sporting past and its glittering future combine.
IOC president Thomas Bach and acting Brazilian president Michel Temer take their spots and it's time for the national anthem.
It's played solemnly on acoustic guitar by the Brazilian pop great Paulinho da Viola, kitted out in a snazzy blue suit and accompanied by a small string orchestra. Then it breaks into samba, obviously.
SHINY HAPPY PEOPLE
The cast members are wearing what can best be described as shiny overalls. Costume designer Cláudia Kopke said some of their patterns, inspired by the work of Athos Bulcao, "looked beautiful on paper, but didn’t work as clothes”. They look good tonight though - perfect attire for an 80s electro themed fancy dress party. Wonder if the cast get to keep the costumes.
The pillows, incidentally, are made from the same material they use to wrap salgadinhos, a type of popular Brazilian snack food. It's also the stuff they use to make chip packets (crisp packets for our British readers). A new perspective for the next time you tuck into a bag of salt and vinegar.
Essentially, we're witnessing the most imaginative use of kitchen foil in recorded history. Bravo.
The shiny people swirl around to create a vortex, nestled inside which is a tree. Hold that thought - trees will be playing a big role in tonight's event.
WHAT’S THAT SONG?
“Hino Nacional Brasileiro”
The Brazilian National Anthem was composed in 1831 with the complete lyrics to follow nearly 80 years later. The production takes a solemn tone without being militaristic as the hymn is being performed by Paulinho da Viola, a grandmaster sambista adored for his sophisticated harmonies and gentle voice.
The directors describe the anthem as beautiful and poetic, going acoustic with a small string orchestra and selecting Paulinho da Viola for his delicate interpretation.
AN AWESOME WAVE
And here come the performers...
A thousand silvery figures have entered the stage carrying sheets of metallic paper. Some elegant flapping ensues and, like magic, the paper is transformed into hundreds of... pillows?
Big inflatable silver ones. The kind you could imagine a large robot going to sleep on at night in his big robot bed.
Do robots need sleep? There's no time to think about that, because the pillows are being nimbly manoeuvred to form waves, then struck hard to create a beating drum sound that reverberates around the stadium. It's noisy.
PORTUGUESE LESSON
"I'm going to tell you something: we had much less budget that any of the most recent opening ceremonies - we used that to our benefit," were the words of Leonardo Caetano, Rio 2016 ceremonies director.
One of the themes of the evening is the gambiarra, described as “the Brazilian talent for making the most out of nothing.”
Let's see what they come up with.
WHAT'S THAT SONG?
“Aquele Abraço” by Gilberto Gil
The ceremony opens to a well-known tune written by the legendary Gilberto Gil. The title means “That Embrace” and the upbeat lyrics croon, “Oh, Rio de Janeiro, stay lovely” but this love letter is also a farewell. Composed and released in 1969 before Gil was exiled during Brazil’s military dictatorship, the song symbolized the struggle under an oppressive rule that lasted from 1964 until 1985.
Gil returned to Brazil shortly after and is a life-long advocate for the environment. He eventually entered politics.
The version we hear tonight is performed by Rio de Janeiro star Luiz Melodia, a celebrated figure selected to perform because his life and unmistakable voice embody the carioca spirit.
BOA NOITE, RIO!
Rio 2016 greets us with a wave, crashing onto a beach on a video screen beamed into the Maracana. A hush falls over the crowd as we're taken on an aerial tour of the city. A football game played on a high-rise building, swimmers doing laps of a rooftop pool, a run through the city streets that eventually leads us high above the forest surrounding Rio de Janeiro. A city where sport and nature are part of the fabric.
ONLY HAVE EYES FOR YOU
From inside Maracana, Britney Petersen and Michelle Brown bring their flashy, glassy Chicago style to Rio de Janeiro. "This is our first Olympics and we are going to cheer on the Americans in everything... swimming, football and basketball," says Michelle.
THERE WILL BE AT LEAST ONE MAN CHEERING FOR KYRGYZSTAN TONIGHT
Rio 2016's Jon Azpiri has bumped into one of their fans at the Maracana. He writes:
One of the great joys of the Olympic opening ceremony is seeing the stands filled with flags from around the world.
Nurgazy Gapparov will likely be the only person at Maracanã Stadium waving the red-and-gold flag of Kyrgyzstan during the Rio 2016 opening ceremony.
“We don’t have a big population, about 5 million people,” he said of the central Asian country.
Gapparov was supposed to be joined by friends living in London and Moscow but both missed their flights so he was at the opening ceremony on his own.
He hopes to see beach volleyball, wrestling, and judo during his time in Rio.
PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE
The fans will have to wait a bit longer to see Usain Bolt at these Olympic Games. The Jamaican team has confirmed that their star sprinter will not be attending the ceremony this evening. Not a huge surprise given his low media profile since arriving in Rio, as discussed here.
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