César Guerra-Peixe (1914-1955)
Symphonic Suite No 1 ‘Paulista’ (1955)
Roda de amigos (Circle of Friends) (1979)
Symphonic Suite No 2 ‘Pernambucana’ (1955)
Goiás Philharmonic Orchestra/Neil Thomson
rec. 2016, Centro Cultural Oscar Niemeyer, Palácio da Música Belkiss Spenzièri, Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil
NAXOS 8.573925 [58]
Another exceptionally interesting and valuable release as part of Naxos’ “The Music of Brazil” series. The back cover of the disc states; “César Guerra-Peixe was one of the most versatile Brazilian musicians of the 20th Century gaining a particular mastery of orchestration and creating his own inimitable sound...” Yet away from South America he remains all but unknown. Although Latin American music as a whole is shamefully under-appreciated outside of that continent, there have been several series of discs from companies the likes of ASV, BIS, Naxos and Dorian focussing on the musical riches to be found there. But by my reckoning none of these discs have substantially featured Guerra-Peixe. On the enjoyable BIS disc entitled “Danças Brasileiras” the final track is his three minute Mourão and the same label includes a one minute piano piece in a survey of Brazilian keyboard works. So this disc of an hour of Guerra-Peixe’s most exhilarating and exuberant music is a considerable discovery and cause for celebration.
All of the information here has been gleaned from the brief but highly informative liner note by Marshal Gaioso Pinto. After studying violin and composition in Rio de Janeiro, Guerra-Peixe joined the Música Viva movement which promoted serialism in Brazil. It seems that he became disillusioned with the musical potential of that technique instead moving to the north-eastern area of the country in the state of Pernambuco where he intensively studied the local folk music and traditions. In 1953 he moved again this time to São Paulo and similarly immersed himself in the local culture. The direct result of these studies were the linked pair of Symphonic Suites recorded here; No 1 ‘Paulista’ celebrating the music of São Paulo and No.2 ‘Pernambucana’ that of the northern state. The two suites share certain characteristics and both are impressive and instantly attractive works. Both are in four movements of contrasting moods – it could be argued they are quasi-symphonic in that the central movements are contrastingly slow and fast and the closing movement is dynamic and festive. But a listener should not think these are going to be some watered-down suite of national dances. Although Guerra-Peixe orchestrates in a colourful and unmistakeably Latin-American way, harmonically this is complex and knotty music. I assume this is a legacy of his studies of contemporary techniques. Dance does lie at the heart of this music with most of the movements specifically titled after regional dances. They range from the Cateretê that opens Suite No
1 – a dance that alternates highly rhythmical sections with freer recitative-like lyrical passages to the Frevo that closes Suite No
2. This latter dance is apparently the form that is still the most widespread in 21st century Brazil as it is a fast festive march associated with Carnival. For an example of Guerra-Peixe’s brilliance as an orchestrator listen to the ear-tickling instrumental combinations he creates at the opening of the Jongo which is the second movement of the first suite – I absolutely love this quite unique and beguiling orchestral texture. The two suites are well balanced and intelligently scaled. No
1 is the longer, running to just over twenty five minutes whereas as No
2 is some six and half minutes shorter.
Guerra-Peixe’s especial skill is to carefully and lovingly re-create and respect these indigenous musical forms while clothing them in the colours of a large symphonic ensemble. Of course I have no other versions to compare this disc to but it seems clear that the Goiás Philharmonic Orchestra under their British-born principal conductor Neil Thomson play this to the manner born. Just occasionally the upper strings do not play the lyrical passages with absolute unanimity or sweetness of tone but these passing blemishes are easily surpassed by the energy and brilliance of their playing in the many dynamic and exciting passages. In part this is helped by the actual recording; quite close but well-balanced and certainly detailed and dynamic. The only surprise is that it has taken nearly six years for this to be released! There is one curious artefact in the recording – during certain passages of the concertante work there is audible a kind of distant chirping sound. At first I wondered if it was a subtle orchestral effect but its presence seems random and either an insect-like noise or an air conditioning fan that requires lubricating! To be honest it is not intrusive or extensive, just unusual.
Furthering the listener’s understanding and appreciation of the range of Guerra-Peixe’s work is the inclusion of the very contrasting Roda de Amigos (Circle of Friends) written nearly a quarter of a century after the two suites. The character of the music here is quite different with the explicit nationalism subsumed into a neo-classical ‘sinfonia concertante’. The premise of the work is attractive. The four friends are solo winds; a flute, an oboe, a clarinet and a bassoon. Each has a distinct character so the movements are titled in order; O rabugento [The Grumpy One] for bassoon, O teimoso [The Stubborn One] for clarinet, O melancólico [The Melancholy One] for oboe and O travesso [The Mischievous One] for flute. These were written for four actual friends of the composer and the parts are played here by the excellent principals of the Goiás Philharmonic Orchestra. Except for a cadenza in the final movement for the flute, the solo writing is not particularly virtuosic and Guerra-Peixe writes for all four wind instruments alongside the string group in each movement with each ‘friend’ given the leading voice in turn. Generally the mood of this music is benevolent and good-humoured – it put me in mind of Jean Françaix or Jacques Ibert. At just over fourteen minutes for the complete work this is attractive and well-proportioned and the sort of music I could imagine fitting well in a chamber orchestra programme.
Apart from the specific quality of these individual scores, a significant part of the value of this disc is to add another name to the lengthening list of Latin American/Brazilian composers of real worth and talent. For too many years Villa-Lobos alone represented his country’s music to the wider world. We would no more expect British 20th Century music to be judged solely on the output of Vaughan Williams or Britten so it is equally important to be able to appreciate the range, quality and diversity of the music of South America. Certainly
César Guerra-Peixe deserves to be placed alongside his compatriots such as Camargo Guarnieri, Claudio Santoro, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Edino Krieger, Alexandre Levy, Oscar Lorenzo Fernandez, Francisco Mignone, Alberto Nepomuceno and of course Heitor Villa-Lobos. The Wikipedia entry for Guerra Peixe mentions his twelve minute Concertino for Violin as embracing the characteristics of the Brazilian folk fiddle the rabeca. There was an LP recording of this work [YouTube] but it would be wonderful to have a new performance from the artists involved here. Further searching reveals a recording of his Symphony No 2 ‘Brasilia’ [YouTube] which I have not yet listened to and also a version of the Suite No
1 included here which is played pretty dreadfully by the Moscow State Orchestra [?] [YouTube]. Suite No
2 fares a lot better [YouTube] but the audio and flair of this new recording trumps that comfortably.
A genuinely important and enjoyable disc.
Nick Barnard
