I haven't listened to your work for quite a while David and I must say I'm impressed. Majestic playing and majestic sound. Really. Open, balanced. Very artistic. You seem to have managed what you were obviously after.
To be honest, I don't find the piece (as a composition) interesting. But you seem to have found things to grab on and make the most out of it. The composer should be very happy if he could listen to it.

Hi Pantelas,

Good to hear from you again! Thank you so much for all that praise on my playing. (I'm going to try not to let it go to my head so I can still fit through the doorways here at home!) When I received this piece, like everyone else here I was totally unfamiliar with it. So developing a concept and interpretation became most important to me in learning and playing it. And yes, I definitely aimed to make the most of it. The fact that the piece didn't appeal to you is understandable, as all of us have our preferences and dislikes, no matter the composer or the composition. I'm very glad though that despite the composer being so obscure, you still took a chance and listened anyway.

Your comment that Dutra would have been happy to hear this rendition resonates a lot with me. Whenever I'm studying a new work, I always imagine that the composer is sitting on the sofa in my living room taking it all in. It motivates me to do my best.

Thanks again for listening!

David

Hi David, I loved your devoted playing and this gorgeous piece so much!!! I listened to it twice and probably this unique music will be played in my dream again and again.. (it's nearly 11 o'clock pm)

Hi Hye-Jin,

I'm glad you loved this piece so much. It always gives me endless pleasure to come across an obscure gem such as this Dutra piece and then to reveal it to the PS members. Have sweet dreams!

David

Hello David,

I'd love to see Dutra's other works as well! Judging by this piece, they must certainly be worth it.
The dedicatory I mentioned was on the front cover, if I remember correctly. Anyhow, it's great that you found this piece.

Best wishes,
Alexandre

Hi Alexandre,

Ahhh... I only received the two pages of the music, sans the front cover. So yes, it is possible that the origin was as you suggested.

Also based on the other facts you kindly gave me, I went back to my opening post where I had included a biographical sketch, and was able to enhance it! So thanks for that.

Where the piece is so sad, and where Farnesio was 19 in 1940, it would be interesting to know the event in Farnesio's life that caused his father Eduardo to compose the piece and dedicate it to his son. It could have been something adolescent, like Farnesio breaking up with his girl friend. We'll never know.

Do you know by chance if Neusa Franca knew Cyprien Katsaris?

David

If you think this Brazilian sounds like a Russian, do listen to this concerto and say does it not sound like you know who after a tour in Brazil?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPq4v7eTDiw&fmt=8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3zeltO3 ... x=68&fmt=8

1st link Mvts 1 and 2, wnd link mvt 3.

Khachaturian ? Or did you have another you-know-who in mind ? There are surely lots of influences to be detected, not all of them fully digested.

Thanks for posting this. I'd never heard of Tavares. Not a terrible original composer, but a capable one it seems, writing as well for the orchestra as the piano. This does not overall sound particularly Brazilian to me. Some great big-hearted tunes in there though.

What a mighty pianist Arnaldo Cohen is. He should be far more famous

Hi David,

I don't think Neusa França ever met Katsaris, but she was a student of Magda Tagliaferro and knew many important Brazilian composers like Francisco Mignone (with whom she studied), Lorenzo Fernandez (who was in the examination of her admission test for the conservatoire when she was an adolescent), Villa Lobos, and Claudio Santoro (a personal friend).

richard66, I love Heckel Tavares' Piano Concerto in Brazilian Forms. Arnaldo Cohen and Roberto Tibiriçá did a spledid job in it. There are so many great Brazilian composers. If you want something Russian, listen to this Ponteio Guarnieri dedicated to Scriabin!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMK5n0RaUFg

Best,
Alexandre

I was actually thinking of Rachmaninoff, actually. It could have been his "lost concerto", if he had ever lost one!

The funny thing is that if Dutra, a classical composer, had a son who was a popular composer, Tavares was father and son together - having his foot in both camps. This concerto, as well as some other pieces, are quite atypical, really.

My father brought these works to my attention, commenting that Tavares was obviously a great admirer of Rachmaninoff.

Alexandre, I have listened to the Camargo Guarnieri. Indeed, it does sound familiar. Speaking of that, some time ago I was investigating recordings of Bortkiewicz's Etudes and the best one (to my mind) version of op 15/8 I found (on YouTube) was yours. I could actually hear the lyric B section. Why do you not post it here?

Hi, David!

definitely it's a Russian piece!
nice playing! and I'm impressed how you could find it. I have come across some Pierre Feraux recordings, but never this Dutra piece!

Hi Felipe,

Thanks for listening and your nice comment.

Actually I didn't find Dutra's piece--it found me. I received it from a professional performing artist who suggested I might like to play it. From what I understand it traveled from Brazil to Canada to the USA, and finally to me. I didn't know what to expect, but once I took it to the piano, I immediately saw its potential. It's a trifle, but a gem of a trifle.

David

Hello, David!

Such a sorrowful and beautiful piece... I was holding my breath by the end. I was thinking it reminded me a little of something by Szymanowski (I am trying to learn a few of the preludes). I can't exactly place it/them, but that was my initial reaction. What a treat to have someone send you a score like that. That would make it so much easier to decide what to play next, always an impossible decision for me (and so I procrastinate and don't play anything for months, ugh).

Thanks for posting this. I think your piano sounds great, BTW. What year is your L?

~Adrienne

Hi Adrienne,

I'm glad you enjoyed this piece. I always have a queue of recording projects, so know exactly what I'll be doing next. When I got the Dutra score, I wasn't quite sure where I should place it. As it turned out, I decided to prioritize it as my very next piece to study, and I'm glad I did. This prelude, a trifle really, is a little gem, but a gem nonetheless! It's been a hit with listeners, so I think I made a good decision to play it sooner than later. And where Dutra is nearly unknown now, I'm pleased to have served this fine composer who deserves to be remembered.

And thanks for complimenting my Baldwin L Artist Grand too. I purchased it new in 1984 and in 2007 did a partial rebuilding, as it gets frequent workouts. We've done a lot of work together over the years! The new Ronsen Wurzen hammers (replacing the original Baldwin-Renner hammers--my choice) were so great right out of the box in 2007, such that very little filing and voicing needed to be done--just a few very minor touches. My concern now is that with "wearing in", the piano is sounding noticeably on the bright side. So I'm seriously considering doing just enough voicing of the hammers to get a slightly darker and more typical Baldwin sound.

Thanks for listening to the "Preludio".

David