Credits:

Guarnieri, Camargo (1907-1993)

Description:

Brazilian composer Guarnieri's father was an Italian immigrant who loved music and named his children Mozart, Rossini, Bellini, and Verdi. Camargo Guarnieri, whose real name was Mozart, showed precocious genius in piano playing and composition, which his mother taught him, and later became a composer of the generation following Villa-Lobos, but perhaps feeling that the name Mozart was too intimidating, he wrote only "M." instead of Mozart. He also took his mother's maiden name, Camargo, as his pen name. He studied under Lily Boulanger and was exposed to the cutting edge of European music, but he believed that his music should be rooted in Brazil. The pieces on this album are entitled "Improviso (Improvisation)," "Momento (Moment, a moment, a little pause)," and "Valsa (Brazilian-style waltz)." The Improviso and Momento pieces are around 2 minutes long, while the Valsa is a little longer, around 3 or 4 minutes. It has a melodious, melancholy shade of tune that would be suitable to be played in a bar. Many people may feel a Brazilian sentiment that is similar to Nazareth's music. Improviso No. 2 is dedicated to Villa-Lobos, and Momento No. 7 to Enriqui Oswaldo. Performed by pianist Max Barros, who was born in California and raised in Brazil. As a member of the São Paulo Music Critics Association, he strives to introduce Brazilian music. Naxos Japan