brazilian classical music Mozart Camargo Guarnieri - A forgotten genius.

Hello everybody!

I've just posted a video biography about Mozart Camargo Guarnieri, one of the greatest Brazilian composers. 

He has been quite forgotten lately, so I decided to make a video to share his life and some of his works. I also intend to do various other videos about Brazilian classical music, so (sorry for the advertisement) I'd ask you to consider subscribing to my Youtube channel if you are interested in this subject.

Best reagards to you all!

Jean.

Congratulations on an interesting video and worthy cause indeed.

Fact is, until recently, Brazil has been negligent in promoting any of its “classical” composers. It’s been a living art for domestic consumption with little attention to export. Most Villa-Lobos has been produced outside Brazil – notably his Symphonies, first recorded (and brilliantly) by St Clair with the Stuttgart Orchestra. Some works have been recorded in Brazil – most of the String Quartets by Bressler-Reis. In the last decade we’ve been inundated with HVL’s guitar and piano music. (Excuse me mentioning what you’ll already know but it may be of interest in the wider sphere.)

But Guarnieri? Very little. Most people know him for his Dancas. BIS has recorded 4 of his Symphonies and Naxos his concertos. I’m loathe to buy BIS’ Brazilian recordings since the engineers interfere too much in the production, judging by the mess they made of Villa-Lobos’ Choros. (They may play what’s on the scores but you wouldn’t hear them in concert like they are on BIS recordings.) I was hoping to sample them in Amazon (shop not HVL’s favourite haunt) but BIS hasn’t made samples available. However, his Symphony 2 is there on Youtube along with other bits and pieces. The orchestral works interest me the most.

He has contemporaries worth more exposure: Oscar Lorenzo Fernandez, Radames Gnattali, Mignone and others. I'm a big fan of South American music.

I’d love to subscribe to your channel but I don’t have an account. For my part, apologies.

@Quinn Thank's for the great comment, you demonstrate amazing knowledge about the subject. Much more, in fact, than most Brazilian classical music "aficionados".

It's great that you add all of that to whoever is interested on the subject!

1 hour ago, Quinn said:

Fact is, until recently, Brazil has been negligent in promoting any of its “classical” composers. It’s been a living art for domestic consumption with little attention to export.

This very acurate. OSESP (Symphony orchestra of the state of São Paulo) and a few other smaller organizations have recently organised a project called "Camargo Guarnieri" to save and record many of the composer's forgoten works. However, truth is that most people don't care about this stuff. 

It is also worth noting that the reason why Villa Lobos and Guarnieri became so well-recognized around the world is because they were discovered by french pianists who decided to spread their music around Europe. Alfred Cortot, in the case of Guarnieri and Arthur Rubinstein for Villa Lobos. That's what actually gave them enough influence in their own country to allow them to grow.

To build on top of that, the book I read about Guarnieri, which is one of the few dedicated completely to him, was written by a scholar in the USA, who has had great contact with the composer in life.

It's just amazing how little you can find of Guarnieri. About his string trios and quartets, I've only found a recording of his second quartet. He has many sonatas, and they are often hard to find. He wrote many award-winning orchestral works that are inaccessible on the internet. About his Ponteios, there is just a mess of all the recordings made to date. It's hard to find a full performancce by one pianist of all of them. Sometimes you find Guarnieri, Isabel Mourão or Laís de Souza Brasil, which all have very diferent interpretations and qualities.

1 hour ago, Quinn said:

He has contemporaries worth more exposure: Oscar Lorenzo Fernandez, Radames Gnattali, Mignone and others.

I hope to cover many more composers, and also do a video showing a timeline of how all those composers relate to each other.

1 hour ago, Quinn said:

I’d love to subscribe to your channel but I don’t have an account. For my part, apologies.

Please, don't apologise. Thank you very much for watching and for taking some time to write about this compelling subject.

Best regards, Jean.

I was quite surprised to find so much Brazilian music on Youtube and elsewhere.... it's been uploaded in very recent years. Never once did I expect to find a Guarnieri Symphony. I had just a couple of recordings of other composers taken off-air from the BBC long ago (notably Nepomuceno's rather beautiful Symphony in G minor and one of Fernandez' Symphonies).

Interesting that of South American countries, Brazil stands out and is doing most to promote its music now. Bravo to the Sao Paulo Orchestra, Neschling and his associates! I can't raise the same enthusiasm about Argentinian or Mexican music (with the exception of Revueltas). But it's more than just music, it's a reflection of the diverse cultural styles that make up Brazil (as I see it. Please excuse my opinions here). Someone might claim that Brazilian "classical" music was still heavily influenced by Europe until Villa Lobos burst on the scene. But not quite. Nepomuceno's work has that "saudade" about it that makes music of his times unique. 

But I won't keep on here. This is stuff you know anyway. I'll listen to Guarnieri's 5th Symphony later today. One thing is certain. I have to steer very clear of S. American and Caribbean music if I feel in the mood to compose. It can be most infectious!

(Aside: I must also comment on your Adagio for Strings.... My last attempt to listen was interrupted. .... Well, you are a Brazilian composer.... :) 

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His 5th Symphony is "brooding", sensuous and exciting, not the least because of the big choral ending. I wasn't able to find out more about what the vocal text was about. I shall keep trying. Next it'll be his 1st Symphony.