The
Naxos
label's "Music of Brazil" series, issued in conjunction with the Brazilian government (and wouldn't it be nice if certain other governments would do this?), has yielded a number of wonderful finds, but this one, which appeared in 2024, is a real standout. Composer
Oscar Lorenzo Fernandez
(1897-1948) is known to general audiences, if at all, for the "Batuque" movement that concludes his
Reisado do pastoreio
("
Pastoral Epiphany
"); it is a simple, highly effective joining of Afro-Brazilian rhythms to orchestral textures that was programmed by
Arturo Toscanini
, among others, and later by
Serge Koussevitsky
as an attraction of the hi-fi era. It is heard here, along with the rest of the
, a colorful work from the heyday of Brazilian cultural nationalism in the 1920s. Equally interesting, though, are
Fernandez
's two symphonies from the '40s, which here receive their world premieres. By that time,
had purged overt nationalism from his style, but what is intriguing is how Brazilian the works remain despite their outwardly international styles. Especially effective is the
Symphony No. 2 ("O Caçador de Esmeraldas")
, a programmatic work based on an epic poem depicting a 17th century explorer in search of an emerald mine. Sample its propulsive finale. The
Minas Gerais Philharmonic Orchestra
continues to do excellent work under conductor
Fabio Mechetti
in orchestrally complex scores of which the musicians knew nothing beforehand. A real winner from
. ~ James Manheim