Guarnieri: Symphonies Nos. 2 and 3 / Abertura Concertante

Featuring

John Neschling
Orquestra Sinfônica do Estado de São Paulo
Camargo Guarnieri

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Composition History

Guarnieri's Symphony No.2, 'Uirapuru', completed in 1945, was dedicated to Heitor Villa-Lobos, a prominent Brazilian composer, and named after an Amazonian bird dear to Villa-Lobos.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Guarnieri sparked a major musical controversy in Brazil with an open letter published before his Symphony No.3, arguing against the use of twelve-tone techniques and advocating for a contemporary Brazilian style.

Notable Performances

Leonard Bernstein, a famous American conductor and composer, played Guarnieri's Sonata No.1 in a recital at MoMA and later conducted the New York Philharmonic in a recording of his Dança brasileira.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Composer Aaron Copland described Camargo Guarnieri as "the most exciting 'unknown' talent in South America," praising his unique personality, finished technique, and fecund imagination.

Composer Biography

Camargo Guarnieri decided to stop using his first name, Mozart, in 1928, feeling it was presumptuous for a 20th-century composer to use the great musician's name.

Composition History

Camargo Guarnieri dedicated his Abertura Concertante to Aaron Copland in 1942 as a gesture of gratitude for Copland's support and to cover his living expenses in the USA.