Guarnieri’s Piano Music, Vol. 2

Camargo Guarnieri's impact on the musical life of Brazil, as a composer, teacher, and conductor, cannot be overestimated. This second volume of his piano works is again performed by Max Barros, whose programme for Vol. 1 (8.572626-27) included Guarnieri's Ponteios, Suite Mirim and the Piano Sonata:

‘Barros is just right for this music: deeply versed in Guarnieri’s idiom, he plays with confident brio and sensitivity and far overshadows other recordings I’ve heard of Guarnieri’s piano pieces. The sound is excellent. Anyone interested in 20th-century Latin American piano music will want this release.’

American Record Guide

All the musical genres included in Volume 2 belong to the broader category of the ‘character piece’, a type of composition (mostly for piano solo) that flourished during the Romantic period and became very common in the musical salons of the time.


8.573632

Considered the most important Brazilian composer next to Villa-Lobos, Camargo Guarnieri and his impact on the musical life of his country is inestimable, with a body of piano music that represents the composer’s most distinctive stylistic features. Guarnieri was a consummate improviser and many of his piano works reflect a sense of ease and intimacy, giving the impression that they were composed in a flash of instantaneous inspiration. This is particularly true of the ‘character pieces’ in this volume, from the autobiographical Improvisos and Momentos, to the intimate nostalgia of the Valsas. Volume 1 of this edition can be heard on Naxos 8.572626-27.

Listen to Valsa No. 5
About the Artist
Born in California and raised in Brazil, Max Barros' recordings for Naxos include the complete piano concertos of Camargo Guarnieri, which received the Diapason d’or Discovery Award. Barros has toured South America with Virtuosi di Praga and has been a guest artist with the American, Enso, Biava and Escher string quartets, Quartetto di Venezia and St. Luke’s Chamber Ensemble. He is the vice-president and artistic director of the Brazilian Music Foundation in New York.
More albums of music by Camargo Guarnieri
8.557666
Piano Concertos Nos. 1, 2 and 3
Barros • Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra
Conlin
★★★★★
★★★★
‘… the Warsaw Philharmonic ... respond with gusto and evident enjoyment to all three works, expertly directed by Thomas Conlin. Max Barros – brought up in Brazil – sounds completely comfortable and confident in the solo parts.’
Gramophone
8.557667
Piano Concertos Nos. 4, 5 and 6
Barros • Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra
Conlin
‘Pianist Max Barros and the Warsaw Philharmonic play the socks off these concertos. Add that to Naxos’ ultra-vivid sonics, and you’ve got an hour of musical thrills.’
American Record Guide
8.574197
Choros, Vol. 1
Seresta

Kopylova • Silvério • Nascimento • Graton
São Paulo Symphony Orchestra • Karabtchevsky
‘The performances are excellent, from both soloists and orchestra; it is clear that this music genuinely enthuses [conductor] Isaac Karabtchevsky.’
Gramophone
8.574403
Choros, Vol. 2
Flor de Tremembé

Buosi • Schaefer • Pinto • Kopylova
São Paulo Symphony Orchestra • Tibiriçá
★★★★★
★★★★
‘The musicians are absolutely at home with Guarnieri’s idiom: Roberto Tibiriçá’s tempos are spot on, the soloists are terrific, the sound first rate.’
Limelight ★★★★★


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