Joly Braga Santos

[Guido]

He was a very modest person. But he always had a deep admiration for Freitas Branco that helped him in the begining of his career.

Thy the Quartet and the cello Sonata of Freitas Branco by the Takacs Quartet and Perenyi and Jando, his first Symphony by Silva Pereira and, regarding Lopes Graça his "Tragic History of the Sea"conducted by Gyula Nemeth with the baryon Oliveira Lopes.

I'd be very interested in hearing the cello sonata - which label is it on?

[mr_espansiva]

I propose we claim him to be a great Portuguese composer of Anglo-Scottish-Dutch descent.   

Or the greatest Dutch composer? 

[Christo]

Or the greatest Dutch composer? 

The greatest English composer - perhaps. Or Scottish - for sure. But in the Dutch musical universe he would still rank second to a number of Great Dutch Composers    (Well, perhaps just Sweelinck,  Vermeulen and Orthel)   

[vandermolen]

And here is a photo of the great man:

[Dundonnell]

And here is a photo of the great man:

How interesting! First time I had seen a photo of the Portugese composer, Braga Santos

[Christo]

Btw, there's some Braga Santos to be seen/heard on Youtube, like this students orchestra's rehearsal of the Abertura Sinfónica nº 3, op.20 - Symphonic Overture no. 3:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqToNZU2_sU

Or this one, with the great final Hymn (orchestral version under Cassuto) of the Fourth Symphony - also showing some extra pictures:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGvp22sYsKU&feature=related

[Dundonnell]

Btw, there's some Braga Santos to be seen/heard on Youtube, like this students orchestra's rehearsal of the Abertura Sinfónica nº 3, op.20 - Symphonic Overture no. 3:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqToNZU2_sU

Or this one, with the great final Hymn (orchestral version under Cassuto) of the Fourth Symphony - also showing some extra pictures:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGvp22sYsKU&feature=related

Amazing what can be found on Youtube!!! I have just had the closing pages of the Fourth blasting out of my PC!! Thank you so much for that-now I can forward the link to friends and make them listen to it

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

Great links! Especially the fragment of the Third (which I fortunately still have to listen to) - exciting stuff!

[mozartsneighbor]

I am Portuguese and very surprised and pleased to see so many people interested in Braga Santos. I wrote a post on him about 3-4 years ago on the Gramophone forum and there were barely any replies.
I enjoy Braga Santos's music and do think that if he were English or German or French he would be on the map in a much bigger way. But actually I prefer Luis de Freitas Branco -- I am listening to his tone poem Vathek right now!

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

I am Portuguese and very surprised and pleased to see so many people interested in Braga Santos. I wrote a post on him about 3-4 years ago on the Gramophone forum and there were barely any replies.
I enjoy Braga Santos's music and do think that if he were English or German or French he would be on the map in a much bigger way. But actually I prefer Luis de Freitas Branco -- I am listening to his tone poem Vathek right now!

Hello, Miguel! Well, the title Vathek confirms what has been said about the English-Portuguese connection - Vathek is a famous 18th century novel by William Beckford. What kind of piece is it - colourful, oriental?

[Dundonnell]

I am Portuguese and very surprised and pleased to see so many people interested in Braga Santos. I wrote a post on him about 3-4 years ago on the Gramophone forum and there were barely any replies.
I enjoy Braga Santos's music and do think that if he were English or German or French he would be on the map in a much bigger way. But actually I prefer Luis de Freitas Branco -- I am listening to his tone poem Vathek right now!

Welcome to this forum!

I certainly did not expect when I started this thread that it would receive so many replies and engender so much interesting discussion. That is one of the great aspects of a forum like this-that not only can one engage in such a discussion with like-minded enthusiasts, often from other parts of the world, but that passionate advocacy of a composer or of a particular composition can either remind one of music one has forgotten or can actually make others aware for the first time of undiscovered treasures.

It is very interesting that you prefer the music of Luis de Freitas Branco. Another Portugese member of this forum-val-said the same thing in an earlier posting. That certainly encourages me(and I am sure others!) to seek out his music. As you will have seen, Naxos plans to record the symphonies although I know that they are already available in Hungarian performances on Portugalsom. Can you characterize Freitas Branco's music at all? I have not heard a single note so far!

Oh, and by the way, I too for a short period in the mid-1980s seemed to lose interest in music. That was simply a reflection of my life at that time. The introduction of the CD changed all that!!

Hope you enjoy membership of what is-by and large-an extremely friendly forum with a lot of obviously very nice people contributing to it!!

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

Here are a few snippets of the Second Symphony (track 5-8):

http://www.emusic.com/album/Alexandre-Da-Costa-Fernandes-Violin-concerto-Freitas-Branco-Symph-MP3-Download/11123000.html

[mozartsneighbor]

Indeed Jezetha -- and you know, Beckford lived for several years in Portugal, where he took refuge until a scandal over his homosexuality blew over. He became a close friends of several Portuguese intellectuals and aristocrats, and wrote some interesting stuff about Portuguese society and customs.

I am usually an articulate person, but for some reason describing music is not a forte of mine (perhaps bc I have no music theory education). But I will try: Vathek is colorful but at the same time has a certain starkness about it. Lots of brass fanfares, wild barbaric dances, of strong climaxes. It looks back to Rimsky-Korsakov in a way, but is modern-sounding at times. The Branco's idiom is very recognizably individual though.

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

Indeed Jezetha -- and you know, Beckford lived for several years in Portugal, where he took refuge until a scandal over his homosexuality blew over. He became a close friends of several Portuguese intellectuals and aristocrats, and wrote some interesting stuff about Portuguese society and customs.

I am usually an articulate person, but for some reason describing music is not a forte of mine (perhaps bc I have no music theory education). But I will try: Vathek is colorful but at the same time has a certain starkness about it. Lots of brass fanfares, wild barbaric dances, of strong climaxes. It looks back to Rimsky-Korsakov in a way, but is modern-sounding at times. The Branco's idiom is very recognizably individual though.

Interesting info about Beckford! Your description of the music is very good. Btw, I listened to those fragments of the Second Symphony on eMusic - Branco sounds much more reserved than Braga Santos. 'Stark' is the right word, perhaps. And 'serious'.

[karlhenning]

I am Portuguese and very surprised and pleased to see so many people interested in Braga Santos. I wrote a post on him about 3-4 years ago on the Gramophone forum and there were barely any replies.

Welcome, Miguel!  And thank you for putting Luis de Freitas Branco on my musical radar! 

[vandermolen]

I am Portuguese and very surprised and pleased to see so many people interested in Braga Santos. I wrote a post on him about 3-4 years ago on the Gramophone forum and there were barely any replies.
I enjoy Braga Santos's music and do think that if he were English or German or French he would be on the map in a much bigger way. But actually I prefer Luis de Freitas Branco -- I am listening to his tone poem Vathek right now!

Welcome to this group Miguel. I wanted to ask you whether the music of Braga Santos is performed much in Portugal? Is he a well known national figure?

I have just ordered the CD below which has been very enthusiastically reviewed (both works): It contains Branco's Second Symphony and the Violin Concerto by Fernades.

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

For what it's worth - I now have listened to symphonies 2, 3 and 4. No. 3 I like best, so far. There is so much colour and energy there, and self-confidence. It remains an extraordinary fact that you can hear Moeran superimposed on RVW, and still get a sense of a distinct personality. Apart from Douglas Lilburn, I wonder whether there are more cases like this... ?

[vandermolen]

For what it's worth - I now have listened to symphonies 2, 3 and 4. No. 3 I like best, so far. There is so much colour and energy there, and self-confidence. It remains an extraordinary fact that you can hear Moeran superimposed on RVW, and still get a sense of a distinct personality. Apart from Douglas Lilburn, I wonder whether there are more cases like this... ?

I think that Moeran himself might be another example, with the influences of VW, Bax and Walton all there, but assimilated within Moeran's own distinctive voice.

By the way, I think that Braga Santos's First Symphony shows the greatest influence of Vaughan Williams. No 3 is probably my favourite too, with a wonderfully inspiriting finale (although No 4 is equal to it). I was at the school Ball last night but still managed to find myself talking about Braga Santos and Vaughan Williams to the music loving husband of one of my colleagues. Maybe I am becoming obsessed

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

I think that Moeran himself might be another example, with the influences of VW, Bax and Walton all there, but assimilated within Moeran's own distinctive voice.

Of course, you are right! And you can add Delius to the mix, too, and John Ireland. Still- it all comes out as Moeran. His Symphony especially, with those heart-rending passages in the first and last movements (Boult is unsurpassed there), is sui generis, a great poetic statement.

By the way, I think that Braga Santos's First Symphony shows the greatest influence of Vaughan Williams. No 3 is probably my favourite too, with a wonderfully inspiriting finale (although No 4 is equal to it). I was at the school Ball last night but still managed to find myself talking about Braga Santos and Vaughan Williams to the music loving husband of one of my colleagues. Maybe I am becoming obsessed

If they didn't have to remove 'the music loving husband' on a stretcher afterwards, your obsession will have stayed within bounds, I think.

[vandermolen]

Of course, you are right! And you can add Delius to the mix, too, and John Ireland. Still- it all comes out as Moeran. His Symphony especially, with those heart-rending passages in the first and last movements (Boult is unsurpassed there), is sui generis, a great poetic statement.

If they didn't have to remove 'the music loving husband' on a stretcher afterwards, your obsession will have stayed within bounds, I think.

LOL     You are right about Delius, Ireland and Moeran (+Sibelius). The end of the second movement is one of my favourite moments in the Moeran Symphony.