The work Ilhas ('Islands') was composed in 1973, a year before Almeida Prado's Cartas Celestes, which is considered his most important set of works for piano.
Recording & Production
This album was recorded on October 4-5, 2021, at Sala Cecília Meireles in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and features a Steinway & Sons, Model D piano.
Composer Biography
José Antônio Rezende de Almeida Prado, one of Brazil's most prolific composers, initially studied nationalism with Camargo Guarnieri but later explored atonality, post-serialism, and expanded tonalism under Nadia Boulanger and Olivier Messiaen in Paris.
Composition History
The composer, Almeida Prado, dedicated the 15th set of his Cartas Celestes series to Aleyson Scopel, the pianist on this album, after hearing Scopel's performance of the first set.
Composition History
The 14 Nocturnes by Almeida Prado were written between 1985 and 1991, and while they can be heard as a continuous whole, they were not necessarily intended to be performed as a cycle.
Performer Biography
Aleyson Scopel, the pianist on this recording, is a Brazilian artist who has performed worldwide and won numerous international awards, including the Nelson Freire and Magda Tagliaferro awards.
Compositional Technique
The Ilhas ('Islands') can be seen as a predecessor to Almeida Prado's Cartas Celestes due to its use of pre-composed chordal material and exploration of the instrument's resonance and sonorities.
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