Presents
Glauco Velasquez
Piano Trio No.2, Op.86
Glauco Velasquez (1884-1914) was born in the Italian city of Naples, although both of his parents were Brazilian. He had been the product of an illicit affair and his unwed mother was forced to flee to Italy to avoid a scandal. Soon after his birth, she returned to Brazil and Velasquez was taken in by an Italian family and lived his first 11 years in Naples. He showed an interest in music early on and sang in Neopolitan choirs. Finally, his mother returned and took him back to Brazil, despite the fact that he could not speak Portuguese. Eventually, he entered the National Institute of Music where he studied composition and piano with Frederico Nascimento, an accolyte of Cesar Franck and Richard Wagner. Velasquez combined their ideas with elements of French Impressionism to create his own blend and style.
His Piano Trio No.2 was composed in 1911. It is in four movements. The opening movement, Allegro moderato, features relaxed lyrical melodic sections interspersed with quicker, nervous episodes wrapped in an Impressionist envelop. The second movement, a very French sounding Scherzando, begins playfully sounding a bit like Debussy. A much slower section provides an interesting contrast. In third place is a Lento. The strings are given long, lyrical passages while the piano stays in the background. The appealing finale, Allegro molto vivace, starts off in upbeat fashion but is quickly interrupted by wayward tonalities and frequent tempo changes.
This is a very original-sounding work by an important Brazilian composer whose work has been unjustly ignored. It deserves concert performance and is sure to be well received.
Parts: $29.95
