Brasilien (Brazil) = GALLET: Turuna; VILLA-LOBOS: Quintet in Form of a Choros; GUARNIERI: 3 Lieder; MIGNONE: 4 Lieder; SANTORO: Mini Concerto Grosso; MIRANDA: Serious Variations; RIPPER: Matinas – German Opera House soloists – NCA

by | Dec 11, 2009 | SACD & Other Hi-Res Reviews | 0 comments

Brasilien (Brazil) = LUCIANO GALLET: Turuna; VILLA-LOBOS: Quintet in the Form of a Choros; GUARNIERI: 3 Lieder for Voice and Flute; MIGNONE: 4 Lieder for Voice and Bassoon; SANTORO:  Mini Concerto Grosso for String Quartet; RONALDO MIRANDA: Serious Variations on a Theme of Anacieto de Medeiros; JOAO GUILHERME RIPPER: Matinas, for oboe and string quartet – Adriane Queiroz, soprano/ Quintet Soloists of the German Opera House Berlin/ Modern Chamber Ensemble of the German Opera House Berlin – NCA multichannel SACD 60195, 67:44 [Distr. by Naxos] ****:

This unusual SACD comes from a chamber music series that has been continuing for a decade now, presented live by musicians from the Deutsche Oper Berlin. It’s overall title is Sound of the World and this time it focused on the music of three Latin American countries: Brazil, Argentina and Mexico. This album aims to provide an overview of 20th century Brazilian chamber music; most of the works had never been heard in Europe previously.

The opening work from 1926 is for clarinet, violin, viola and percussion. It’s composer was known for the first anthology of Brazilian popular music, and this piece is considered the best example of the Brazilian nationalist movement in music. The next composer of course signifies this movement strongly. Villa-Lobos played in choros ensembles in his youth, so this folk genre infuses his quintet. Guarnieri was also a strong advocate of music nationalism in Brazil, and wrote a manifesto against 12-tone music in 1950.  Mignone later works all have strong Brazilian characteristics and he wrote many works featuring the bassoon.

Santoro founded the music department at Brasilia University and wrote his Concerto grosso originally for string orchestra. Miranda worked also as a music critic and was a leader of Rio’s marching orchestras at the beginning of the 1900s. Ripper is director of one of Rio’s most important concert halls and has written two important Brazilian operas.

The performances sound authentic and maintain a high standard, as does NCA’s multichannel reproduction. The seven songs are printed in the note booklet, but not in English, and the booklet is fastened to the foldout cardboard digipack – not as useful as if it could be separated.

 – John Sunier

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