The cover photograph for this album features the Casa Verdades de Faria / Portuguese Music Museum, which houses the musical estate of Fernando Lopes-Graça.
Composer Biography
Fernando Lopes-Graça, a prolific 20th-century Portuguese composer, was imprisoned more than once for his communist leanings during Portugal's dictatorial regime.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Lopes-Graça aimed to use Portuguese folk music as a medium to develop his personal musical style, similar to Béla Bartók.
Recording & Production
This recording was made in the Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow, Scotland, on July 26th and 27th, 2011.
Performer Biography
In 2009, Álvaro Cassuto was bestowed the degree of Grand Officer of the Military Order of Sant'Iago da Espada by the President of Portugal, commemorating 50 years of his career.
Compositional Technique
Lopes-Graça's music often features direct and natural melodic material, but its integration into a strongly dissonant harmonic fabric can make it challenging on first hearing.
Performer Biography
Álvaro Cassuto, the conductor on this recording, studied conducting with Herbert von Karajan in Berlin and is a recipient of the Koussevitzky Prize.
