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Villa-Lobos (L) – Francisco Mignone (C) – Fractuoso Vianna – (R) – A celebration of Brazil in Hamburg – 1938

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Something very rare indeed tonight – portion of a concert given by the Hamburg Radio Symphony during a celebration of Brazilian Composers and culture, broadcast in 1938.

A concert for its rarity, not only that it survived in this good a shape, having gone through a war, but also a rarity in the pieces being played. The Piano music of Vianna is around, but the orchestral works, it’s doubtful. Either way, it’s a wonderful concert, even this fascinating tidbit.

Only two works are featured – starting with Vianna’s Präludium and ending with Villa-Lobos’ Lindo do cabocio. The concert is conducted by the composer/conductor Francisco Mignone – and the audience is enthusiastic.

A bit about Fractuoso Vianna as reported by the legendary Nicholas Slonimsky:

Vianna, Fructuoso (de Lima), Brazilian pianist, teacher, and composer; b. Itajubá, Oct. 6, 1896; d. Rio de Janeiro, April 22,1976. He studied music with his father, a municipal judge, who composed polkas and waltzes. In 1917 he entered the Rio de Janeiro Cons., and studied piano with Oswald and harmony with Gouveia and Franca; in 1923 he went to Europe, where he pursued piano training with Hanschild in Berlin, De Greef in Brussels, and Selva in Paris, where he also studied the Dalcroze method of eurhythmies. Returning to Brazil, he was active as a teacher; was prof, of piano at the Belo Horizonte Cons. (1929-30) and the Säo Paulo Cons. (1930-38), and prof, of choral singing at the National Technical School in Rio de Janeiro (from 1942); also was prof, of piano at Bennet Coll. His works are based on native Brazilian melorhythms pleasurably seasoned with acrid dissonances, achieving a certain trompe-Voreilleeuphony. His musical output consists mainly of piano pieces and songs of such nature; among them are numerous “valsas” (European waltzes in a Brazilian dressing), “toadas” (melodious romances), and “tanguinhos” (little tangos à la brésilienne). They are all perfumed with impressionistic overtones.

Francisco Mignone was a graduate of the São Paulo Conservatory and then of the Milan Conservatory, Mignone returned to São Paulo in 1929 to teach harmony, and in 1933 took a post in Rio de Janeiro at the Escola Nacional de Música. Mignone was a versatile composer, dividing his output nearly evenly between solo songs, piano pieces, chamber instrumental works, orchestral works, and choral works. In addition, he wrote five operas and eight ballets.

Son of the Italian immigrant flutist Alferio Mignone, Francisco was already making his mark upon the musical world of Brazil by the time he was 10 years old, gaining notoriety around his district playing in the choro style. A pianist and orchestra leader at 13, he had gained some fame composing and playing under the pseudonym of Chico Bororó, keeping these activities separate from his formal music training. His works may be divided into three compositional periods. His early works show the Italian influences and Romantic sensibilities of his training in Milan. An orchestral piece from his first opera of this early period was premiered in Rio de Janeiro by Richard Strauss conducting the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, in 1923.

Much of Mignone’s music is strongly nationalistic in flavor; influenced by the nationalistic movement of his former schoolmate and teacher, the musicologist and writer Mário de Andrade, Mignone uses the folk and popular melodies and forms of his native Brazil as a basis for his compositions. (Andrade reportedly said, “In Italian music, Mignone will be one more among a rich and numerous school, to which he does not add anything. Here, he will be of indispensable value.”) From 1929 until 1960 his work was most strongly characterized by this nationalism, during which he composed such pieces as the Fantasias Brasileiras and his ballets Maracatu do Chico Rei and Leilão. His solo vocal and piano works of this time earned him particular acclaim for their expression of Brazilian musical styles, such as the choro, the modinha, and the valsas (waltzes) reminiscent of strolling serenaders.

Heitor Villa-Lobos was a Brazilian composer, conductor, cellist, and classical guitarist described as “the single most significant creative figure in 20th-century Brazilian art music”.^[1] Villa-Lobos has globally become one of the most recognizable South American composers in music history.^[2] A prolific composer, he wrote numerous orchestral, chamber, instrumental and vocal works, totaling over 2,000 works by his death in 1959. His music was influenced by both Brazilian folk music and stylistic elements from the European classical tradition, as exemplified by his Bachianas Brasileiras (Brazilian Bach-pieces) and his Chôros. His Etudes for classical guitar (1929) were dedicated to Andrés Segovia, while his 5 Preludes (1940) were dedicated to his spouse Arminda Neves d’Almeida, a.k.a. “Mindinha”. Both are important works in the classical guitar repertory.

The post Francisco Mignone Conducts Vianna And Villa-Lobos – 1938 – Past Daily Weekend appeared first on Past Daily: A Sound Archive of News, History And Music.