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Camargo GUARNIERI (1907–1993)
Choros – Volume 2
Choro for Clarinet and Orchestra (1956) [13:21]
Choro for Piano and Orchestra (1956) ]16:44]
Flor de Tremembé (1937) [5:56]
Choro for Viola and Orchestra (1975) [17:45]
Choro for Cello and Orchestra (1961) [15:54]
Ovanir Buosi (clarinet), Horácio Schaefer (viola), Matias de Oliveira Pinto (cello), Olga Kopylova (piano)
São Paulo Symphony Orchestra/Roberto Tibiriçá
rec. 2020/21, Sala São Paulo, Brazil
NAXOS 8.574403 [70:13]

If its early May, then it’s time for my annual lament over the lack of representation of Latin American Classical Music in this year's BBC Proms. And 2022 proves to be no different – while international orchestras can find space in their programmes for second tier American symphonies the music of Camargo Guarnieri has never been heard once in over a century of “The World's Greatest Music Festival”. Yet Guarnieri's music abounds with exactly the kind of attractive, interesting and individual qualities that would surely make it a Proms “hit”. Fortunately, although Guarnieri might have been neglected in concert halls outside of Latin American, in the studio he has been much better served. I would warmly direct any curious collector towards the set of his symphonies on BIS and the Piano Concertos on Naxos. Both of these rely on the skill and expertise of the São Paulo Symphony Orchestra – which also happens to be the area in Brazil that Guarnieri was both born and died. Additionally, Naxos have recorded all eight of Guarnieri's Choros of which this disc is the second and concluding volume.

I reviewed Volume 1 very enthusiastically and I have to say all of the good impressions from that disc are repeated if not amplified here. This really is an excellent disc showcasing appealing and sophisticated music in wholly committed and impressive performances. Again the solo parts – with the exception of cellist Matias de Oliveira Pinto [his website and biography are not clear if he plays for the orchestra or not] – who is a São Paulo native in any case – are taken by principal players from the orchestra and the standard of the playing is spectacularly high. Guarnieri might write attractively for the listener but it is very demanding for the player. All of the concertante works on this disc follow a similar tri-partite format with an lean and sinewy first movement followed by a pensive and nostalgic central section and a concluding 'festive' finale. Latin American rhythms and instrumental touches are clear and frequent but in no way is this simply nationalistic music. The opening Clarinet Choro is a prime example. This is the one work which is played continuously although the three sections are clearly defined. Guarnieri's great skill is to fuse disparate influences from Stravinsky to Copland to Gershwin with the distinctive flavour of Latin American and yet create a musical voice that is unmistakably his own. Across both volumes these are compact works – the longest do not break the eighteen minute barrier – but that is no reason for their neglect. The clarinet concerto repertoire is not exactly stuffed with 'popular' works – and both Stravinsky's and Copland's contributions are likewise sub twenty minute works. Ovanir Buosi's playing of this Choro for Clarinet and Orchestra is very fine. I really enjoyed the range of his playing from punchy and articulate to the meltingly lyrical. Throughout the microphone placement puts the soloists a fraction closer on the soundstage than I would ideally prefer but the result is great clarity and definition which does help in scores where the contrapuntal writing and clean instrumental textures are key.

For the piano Choro the orchestra is joined by Olga Kopylova who also featured on volume 1. As before, Kopylova revels in the lean percussive writing of the outer movements while having exactly the pensive lyricism for the central Nostálgico. This Choro has been recorded previously on Summit Records over twenty years ago but I have not heard that version so I cannot compare. As mentioned before the technical demands on the soloists are high but nowhere higher than in the Viola Choro which sounds like a brute to play. But Horácio Schaefer, who has been the orchestra's principal player since 1998, plays with exactly the kind of bravura flair that the music requires. This is something of a tour-de-force throughout and as such makes for an exhilarating listen. Again it is worth reiterating that a considerable part in the success of this music is the way Guarnieri has found a wholly successful balance between display and lyricism, nationalism and neo-classicism, the traditional and the ground-breaking. I used a quote from Aaron Copland in my previous review and it is worth repeating here; he wrote in 1941; "Guarnieri is the most exciting talent among Latin American composers … what I like best about his music is its healthy emotional expression…he is the most authentic musician of the continent.”

Within this balance of influences and styles there is a progression over the years away from nationalistic/folk influences in much the same way that the Argentinian Ginastera achieved. Placed at the centre of this current programme is the attractive and early Flor de Tremembé written in 1937 as a wedding gift for his wife who was from Tremembé. This six minute work is uniquely scored for single wind (with a baritone saxophone instead of oboe), single brass, string quartet plus piano harp and ukelele as well as Latin-American percussion. The instrumentation precludes it being able to feature in many ensemble's concerts but this is another gem. The opening bars set the tone immediately, a kind Bach-goes-bachata fugal section for swaying woodwind and percussion before more dynamic writing for the rest of the ensemble. Guarnieri packs a lot of musical incident into the brief time-frame and in this work the listener gets a very good sense of how effectively the composer handles material and instrumental textures. Alongside this work Copland in his Salon Mexico or Three Latin-American Sketches can seem surprisingly 'stiff' – this is a genuinely fun work that would grace any chamber orchestra's programmes.

The 1961 Choro for Cello and Orchestra completes the disc and is another masterly example of Guarnieri's ability to write challenging and complex music in a condensed fifteen minute form. Many composers struggle to produce music of half the interest in twice the length. The opening Decidido e apaixonado [marked and passionate] constitutes about half the length of the entire work is intensely dramatic and played with arresting attack by Matias de Oliveira Pinto – my only quibble being the close microphone placement catching his every sniff but as elsewhere on the disc, the orchestra's contribution is also caught with exciting presence. The closing Com alegria acts as an effective conclusion not just to this work but Guarnieri's Choros as whole combining as it does a now familiar riot of rhythm, virtuosity and orchestral colour.

Hopefully this excellent disc will chip away at the seeming indifference or ignorance regarding this composer's consistently impressive body of work. Having recorded the piano music and the six piano concerti, I would like to think that this revelatory series of recordings sponsored by the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs will turn to the two Guarnieri Violin Concerti or the three String Quartets. I can honestly say I have never been disappointed by any of Guarnieri's music that I have heard and I would strongly urge anyone with an interest – however fleeting – in Latin American or 20^th Century concertante or symphonic music to seek out any of his works. They really are that good.

Nick Barnard