Oswald: Piano Music

Featuring

Braz Velloso
Henrique Oswald

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Composer Biography

Henrique Oswald, born in Rio de Janeiro, moved to Italy at a young age to pursue his musical studies and quickly excelled.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Musicologist Luiz Heitor Corrêa de Azevedo describes Oswald's work as combining German depth of form, French refinement and clarity, and Italian full-bodied melodies.

Performer Biography

Braz Velloso, the pianist on this album, has performed as a soloist and chamber musician in Poland, Portugal, Spain, France, and his native Brazil.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Henrique Oswald assimilated traditional European musical trends, and despite returning to Brazil, he largely failed to incorporate national rhythms into his compositions.

Compositional Technique

Most of Henrique Oswald's piano works are small pieces collected in albums, often with French titles, which reflected a certain elitism common among composers like Leopoldo Miguéz at the time.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Oswald's piano music, though contemporary with Debussy's innovations, remained influenced by the styles of Fauré and Saint-Saëns, yet he created a delicate musical language favoring dreamlike moods.

Composer Biography

Dom Pedro II, Emperor of Brazil, was so impressed by Oswald's talent that he granted him a fifteen-year stipend to continue his musical development in Europe.