Carlos Gomes was not only Brazil's leading operatic composer, but he also helped pave the way for Italian verismo during the latter part of the 19th century. The preludes and overtures from his operas chart a course from early experimentation with orchestral sonority to a new conception of atmosphere and tension in his historically based dramas. In Alvorada (‘Dawn’) from Lo schiavo his descriptive writing comes close to the status of a symphonic poem. The music from his greatest artistic triumph, Il Guarany, weaves themes into an organic whole, while his final opera, Condor, is reminiscent of French orchestral music in its employment of whole-tone scales.
Please login to post a review
Reviews
“… The Minas Gerais Philharmonic play with precision and flair for their founding director and conductor Fabio Mechetti – and, crucially, they make magic in the many hushed moments...This is yet another edifying entry in Naxos’s Music of Brazil series.”
Andrew Farach-Colton – Gramophone magazine – May 2023
Media Downloads
Whenever possible we provide a high resolution CD cover image and a PDF version of the CD booklet for you to download and keep. These are found in your history if purchased and once you have logged in.