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Serenata - Braga, Gomes, Miguez & Nepomuceno / Thomson, English Chamber Orchestra
Naxos

Serenata - Braga, Gomes, Miguez & Nepomuceno / Thomson, English Chamber Orchestra

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Details

Composer
Francisco Braga, Carlos Gomes, Leopoldo Miguez, Gevaro Nepomuceno
Artist
Neil Thomson
Format
CD
Label
Naxos
Released
Sep 09, 2022
Catalog #
8574405
UPC
747313440573

About

You can’t go wrong with 68 minutes of gentle, relaxing, and intelligent music.

Brazilian composers in the 19th century often sought state scholarships to enable them to study in Europe where they were to become influenced by the German, Italian and French compositional schools. They also became involved in the vogue for writing suites based on ancient dances, such as Nepomuceno’s delightful Ancient Suite, premiered at Grieg’s home, or Braga’s Madrigal-Pavana which evokes the belle époque ballrooms of Rio de Janeiro. Miguéz’s Suite in the Old Style is polyphonic and lively, while Gomes’ Sonata for Strings is his finest non-operatic work.

REVIEWS:

Though these Brazilian composers—all born from 1836 to 1868—aren’t household names, they’re well worth your attention. Carlos Gomes's perky, witty Sonata for Strings reminds me a lot of Rossini; the melodies are reserved almost solely for the violins, and they sound like they should be arias instead of a sonata. Alberto Nepomuceno studied in Italy and Germany, but his Suite Antique is a cousin to the Holberg Suite by his friend Grieg. Brass, winds, and timpani join strings in Leopoldo Miguez’s Suite a Antiga, and the oboe solo in the “Aria e Double” is spare yet beautiful. His tunes are fetching, and his countermelodies are inventive and attractively detailed. He gets more chromatically adventurous than the others, too. You can’t go wrong with 68 minutes of gentle, relaxing, and intelligent music. The sound is reverberant though not plush.

-- The Absolute Sound

The English Chamber Orchestra give suitably refined performances, its elegant sound being ideal for this repertoire.

-- Gramophone

The delightful Sonata for Strings by Carlos Gomes (1836–96) that opens the disc may remind some of, say, Tchaikovsky’s Souvenir de Florence. The good humor continues thereafter in this enjoyable snapshot of the 19th-century Brazilian chamber orchestra music, all seemingly played with relish by the ECO.

-- BBC Music Magazine

Tracklist 14 tracks

  1. 1 I. Allegro animato 05:42
    Track
    1
    Title
    I. Allegro animato
    Duration
    05:42
    Composer
    Carlos Gomes
    Ensemble
    English Chamber Orchestra
    Conductor
    Neil Thomson
  2. 2 II. Allegro scherzoso 04:20
    Track
    2
    Title
    II. Allegro scherzoso
    Duration
    04:20
    Composer
    Carlos Gomes
    Ensemble
    English Chamber Orchestra
    Conductor
    Neil Thomson
  3. 3 III. Largo 08:08
    Track
    3
    Title
    III. Largo
    Duration
    08:08
    Composer
    Carlos Gomes
    Ensemble
    English Chamber Orchestra
    Conductor
    Neil Thomson
  4. 4 IV. Vivace, "O Burrico de Pau" (The Wooden Donkey) 03:39
    Track
    4
    Title
    IV. Vivace, "O Burrico de Pau" (The Wooden Donkey)
    Duration
    03:39
    Composer
    Carlos Gomes
    Ensemble
    English Chamber Orchestra
    Conductor
    Neil Thomson
  5. 5 Madrigal-Pavana 04:36
    Track
    5
    Title
    Madrigal-Pavana
    Duration
    04:36
    Composer
    Francisco Braga
    Ensemble
    English Chamber Orchestra
    Conductor
    Neil Thomson
  6. 6 I. Minuet - Trio 03:32
    Track
    6
    Title
    I. Minuet - Trio
    Duration
    03:32
    Composer
    Alberto Nepomuceno
    Ensemble
    English Chamber Orchestra
    Conductor
    Neil Thomson
  7. 7 II. Aria 04:18
    Track
    7
    Title
    II. Aria
    Duration
    04:18
    Composer
    Alberto Nepomuceno
    Ensemble
    English Chamber Orchestra
    Conductor
    Neil Thomson
  8. 8 III. Rigaudon 04:46
    Track
    8
    Title
    III. Rigaudon
    Duration
    04:46
    Composer
    Alberto Nepomuceno
    Ensemble
    English Chamber Orchestra
    Conductor
    Neil Thomson
  9. 9 Serenata 04:30
    Track
    9
    Title
    Serenata
    Duration
    04:30
    Composer
    Alberto Nepomuceno
    Ensemble
    English Chamber Orchestra
    Conductor
    Neil Thomson
  10. 10 I. Prelúdio 03:55
    Track
    10
    Title
    I. Prelúdio
    Duration
    03:55
    Composer
    Leopoldo Miguéz
    Ensemble
    English Chamber Orchestra
    Conductor
    Neil Thomson
  11. 11 II. Sarabanda 05:03
    Track
    11
    Title
    II. Sarabanda
    Duration
    05:03
    Composer
    Leopoldo Miguéz
    Ensemble
    English Chamber Orchestra
    Conductor
    Neil Thomson
  12. 12 III. Gavota 01:48
    Track
    12
    Title
    III. Gavota
    Duration
    01:48
    Composer
    Leopoldo Miguéz
    Ensemble
    English Chamber Orchestra
    Conductor
    Neil Thomson
  13. 13 IV. Ária e Double 08:59
    Track
    13
    Title
    IV. Ária e Double
    Duration
    08:59
    Composer
    Leopoldo Miguéz
    Ensemble
    English Chamber Orchestra
    Conductor
    Neil Thomson
  14. 14 V. Giga 04:21
    Track
    14
    Title
    V. Giga
    Duration
    04:21
    Composer
    Leopoldo Miguéz
    Ensemble
    English Chamber Orchestra
    Conductor
    Neil Thomson