There is no 'Portuguese Composer's' thread so I thought I'd place this here. Often when I impulse buy a Naxos CD I play it once or twice and then forget about it - but not this one, which I have already played about 8 times in a week. I am referring to the 'Symphony for Orchestra' - a super work IMHO which shows the influence of Portuguese folk music but also Prokofiev, Bartok and Falla, although it still sounds original. I loved the last movement of the symphony ('Passacaglia')evidently based on that of Brahms's Symphony No 4, with its repeated theme which stays in the mind and which rises to a great climax, with a redemptive ending. Although quite different I was reminded a bit of 'the long struggle to the sunrise' at the end of Allan Pettersson's 6th Symphony, although the Lopes-Graca is written in a more conservative idiom. I think that it would appeal to admirers of J. Braga Santos (although it is quite different). I think that the Symphony is a fine work and well worth exploring. I see that there are some piano concertos by Lopes Braca on Naxos too.
[asin]B007N0SVTC[/asin]
CHAMBER MUSIC
===================================
Sonatina no.1, vn, pf, 1931, rev. 1951;
Sonatina no.2, vn, pf, 1931, rev. 1970;
Pf Qt, 1939, rev. 1963;
Prelúdio, capricho e galope, vn, pf, 1941, rev. 1951, 1964;
3 canções populares portuguesas, vc, pf, 1953;
Página esquecida, vc, pf, 1955;
3 peças, vn, pf, 1959;
Pequeno tríptico, vn, pf, 1960;
Prelúdio e fuga, vn, 1960; Canto de amor e de morte, pf qnt, 1961, orchd 1962;
Para uma criança que vai nascer, ens, 1961;
4 invenções, vc, 1961;
Str Qt no.1, 1964;
Adagio ed alla danza, vc, pf, 1965
Suite rústica no.2, str qt, 1965;
14 anotações, str qt, 1966;
7 lembranças para vieira da Silva,
wind qnt, 1966;
Prelúdio e baileto, gui, 1968;
O túmulo de VillaLobos, wind qnt, 1970;
3 inflorescênias, vc, 1973;
Sonatina, gui, 1974;
3 cappricetti, fl, gui, 1975;
3 cappricetti, fl, gui, 1975;
2 Airs, fl, 1976;
2 movimentos, fl, 1977;
4 Pieces, gui, 1979;
4 Pieces, va, 1978;
Melodias rústicas portuguesas, fl, gui, 1979;
4 miniaturas, vn, pf, 1980;
3 pequenos duos, fl, gui, 1980;
Esponsais, vn, 1981;
7 apotegmas, ob, va, db, pf, 1981;
Str Qt no.2, 1982;
Andante e allegro, fl, pf, 1984;
Homenagem a Beethoven, 4 db, 1986;
Geórgicas, ob, va, db, pf, 1986;
Adagio doloroso e fantasia, vn, pf, 1988
ORCHESTRAL PIECES
===========================================
Pf Conc. no.1, 1940;
3 danças portuguesas, 1941;
Pf Conc. no.2, 1942, rev. 1954;
Sinfonia, 1944;
5 estelas funerárias, 1948;
Scherzo heróico, 1949;
Suite rústica no.1, 1950–51;
5 velhos romances portugueses, chbr orch, 1951–5;
Concertino, pf, str, perc, 1954;
Marcha festiva, 1954, rev. 1974;
Divertimento, wind, timp, vcs, dbs, 1957;
A menina do mar, chbr orch, 1959;
Gabriela, cravo e canela, ov., 1960–63;
Va Concertino, 1962;
Poema de dezembro, 1961;
Conc. da camera, vc, orch, 1965;
4 bosquejos, str, 1965;
Fantasia sobre um canto religioso da Beira Baixa, pf, orch, 1974;
Suite rústica no.3, wind band, 1977;
Sinfonieta (Homenagem a Haydn), orch, 1980;
Em louvor da paz, 1986
He composed six piano sonatas and numberous other works for piano.
Also, a solo harpsichord piece and a sonatina for guitar ........ "In memoriam Bela Bartok" for piano - who was one of his big inspirations.
http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=pt&u=http://www.vidaslusofonas.pt/lopes_graca.htm&prev=/search%3Fq%3DFernando%2BLopes-Graca
Quote from: Scion7 on August 03, 2014, 05:50:07 AM
http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=pt&u=http://www.vidaslusofonas.pt/lopes_graca.htm&prev=/search%3Fq%3DFernando%2BLopes-Graca
There's also http://mic.pt/dispatcher?where=0&what=2&show=0&pessoa_id=199&lang=en
I met Lopes-Graça when I was very young, in the late 70s. An uncle of mine, a professional musician, was very good friends with him. Good memories, although his music never stirred me.
Quote from: petrarch on August 03, 2014, 10:47:02 AM
There's also http://mic.pt/dispatcher?where=0&what=2&show=0&pessoa_id=199&lang=en
I met Lopes-Graça when I was very young, in the late 70s. An uncle of mine, a professional musician, was very good friends with him. Good memories, although his music never stirred me.
That's very interesting. I greatly enjoy the Symphony for Orchestra which I find to be a powerful. Moving and memorable work, perhaps reflecting its time of composition (1944).
This has to be one of the best discs devoted to this Portuguese composer IMO. I was listening to these great PCs and I found them more than enjoyable. The 2nd PC was more attractive to my ears (eloquent and mysterious 2nd mov. and catchy 3rd mov.), albeit the more-overtly-folk-influenced 1st PC also has its good merits.
(https://d1iiivw74516uk.cloudfront.net/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJwcmVzdG8tY292ZXItaW1hZ2VzIiwia2V5IjoiODAzMDE5Ny4xLmpwZyIsImVkaXRzIjp7InJlc2l6ZSI6eyJ3aWR0aCI6OTAwfSwianBlZyI6eyJxdWFsaXR5Ijo2NX0sInRvRm9ybWF0IjoianBlZyJ9LCJ0aW1lc3RhbXAiOjE0NzExMjU3MDV9)
Two more CDs I consider revelatory. After Braga Santos, he's the most interesting Portuguese composer IMO (with Freitas Branco on a third place).
(https://d1iiivw74516uk.cloudfront.net/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJwcmVzdG8tY292ZXItaW1hZ2VzIiwia2V5IjoiODA0MDA3MC4xLmpwZyIsImVkaXRzIjp7InJlc2l6ZSI6eyJ3aWR0aCI6OTAwfSwianBlZyI6eyJxdWFsaXR5Ijo2NX0sInRvRm9ybWF0IjoianBlZyJ9LCJ0aW1lc3RhbXAiOjE0MDE5ODI1NDl9)(https://d1iiivw74516uk.cloudfront.net/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJwcmVzdG8tY292ZXItaW1hZ2VzIiwia2V5IjoiODA3NjE1OS4xLmpwZyIsImVkaXRzIjp7InJlc2l6ZSI6eyJ3aWR0aCI6OTAwfSwianBlZyI6eyJxdWFsaXR5Ijo2NX0sInRvRm9ybWF0IjoianBlZyJ9LCJ0aW1lc3RhbXAiOjE0Mzk1NjUxMDN9)
Quote from: Løvfald on March 01, 2023, 05:19:02 PMThis has to be one of the best discs devoted to this Portuguese composer IMO. I was listening to these great PCs and I found them more than enjoyable. The 2nd PC was more attractive to my ears (eloquent and mysterious 2nd mov. and catchy 3rd mov.), albeit the more-overtly-folk-influenced 1st PC also has its good merits.
(https://d1iiivw74516uk.cloudfront.net/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJwcmVzdG8tY292ZXItaW1hZ2VzIiwia2V5IjoiODAzMDE5Ny4xLmpwZyIsImVkaXRzIjp7InJlc2l6ZSI6eyJ3aWR0aCI6OTAwfSwianBlZyI6eyJxdWFsaXR5Ijo2NX0sInRvRm9ybWF0IjoianBlZyJ9LCJ0aW1lc3RhbXAiOjE0NzExMjU3MDV9)
I agree - a winner of a disc! Those two PCs are representative of a certain "spiky folksiness" which I find so appealing. As Jeffrey has pointed out earlier in this thread, his single
Sinfonia is a great work filled with muscular rhythmic energy. I've yet to explore his chamber output.
Quote from: kyjo on March 17, 2023, 07:10:26 AMI agree - a winner of a disc! Those two PCs are representative of a certain "spiky folksiness" which I find so appealing. As Jeffrey has pointed out earlier in this thread, his single Sinfonia is a great work filled with muscular rhythmic energy. I've yet to explore his chamber output.
Count me as another fan of that meaty Symphony. There's another disc on Naxos with other orchestral works of his that looks worth investigating.