Freitas Branco: Orchestral Works, Vol. 2: Symphony No. 2 - After A Reading of Guerra Junqueiro - Artificial Paradises
7/27/2009, 6 Tracks, 1:07:37
Featuring
Álvaro Cassuto
National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland
Luís de Freitas Branco
Did you know?
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Critical Reception
Artificial Paradises (1910), inspired by Thomas De Quincy's Confessions of an Opium Eater, is generally considered Freitas Branco's masterpiece by Portuguese musicians and musicologists.
Compositional Technique
The tone poem After a reading of Guerra Junqueiro (1909) shows the influence of Richard Strauss, with musical 'quotations' from his symphonic poems Don Juan and Till Eulenspiegel.
Composer Biography
Luís de Freitas Branco was the dominant figure in Portuguese music in the first half of the twentieth century, and his four symphonies are central to his musical development.
Compositional Technique
Freitas Branco's Symphony No. 2 is based on a two-note thematic cell, which is derived from a Gregorian chant presented in the first movement's slow introduction.
Composition History
The use of Gregorian chant in Symphony No. 2 is a consequence of Freitas Branco's older sister becoming a nun in a Carmelite monastery in Spain, an event that deeply affected him.
Performer Biography
Álvaro Cassuto is Portugal's foremost conductor, having served as Music Director for several orchestras and received the Kousseviztky Prize among other honors.
Composer Biography
Freitas Branco, born into an aristocratic family, received a sophisticated education, including studies in Berlin and Paris with composers like Engelbert Humperdinck and Désiré Pâque.
