Presents
Glauco Velasquez
Piano Trio No.1, Op.64
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.1 was composed in 1909. It is in three movements. The opening movement begins with no tempo marking other than a metronom marking of 126 for a quarter note, which, of course, is fairly brisk. But the music frequently changes tempi and moods. The lovely melodies recall to some extent the music of Debussy. The middle movement is marked Lento espressivo is melancholy but very romantic. The finale, Allegro vivace, is upbeat and bright and again shows the influence of the French impressionists.
This is a very good 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
