Gramophone Magazine
May 2019
Editor's Choice

Minas Gerais Philharmonic Orchestra, Fabio Mechetti

Nepomuceno: Garatuja – Prelúdio
Nepomuceno: Serie Brasileira (Brazilian Suite)
Nepomuceno: Symphony in G minor

Alberto Nepomuceno was a herald of Brazilian musical nationalism. He was one of the first composers in his country to employ elements of folklore in his compositions, he encouraged younger composers such as Villa-Lobos, and his music was conducted by Richard Strauss. The Prelude to O Garatuja, an incomplete opera, is one of his best known works and an example of a truly Brazilian lyric comedy. Série Brasileira is a vivacious suite that employs maxixe rhythms and ends with the feverish batuque dance, while the Symphony in G minor is one of the earliest such examples by a Brazilian, a heroic and lyric structure revealing the influence of Brahms.

"The four-movement suite is absolutely delightful and quite original in its way. Nepomuceno’s influences are readily apparent… Yet the music also looks ahead, and sometimes in startling ways…This is the first instalment in what’s promised to be a 30-disc survey of Brazilian music… If subsequent volumes maintain the high standards heard here, we have a lot to look forward to. Urgently recommended." - Gramophone Magazine, May 2019.