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a series of one-hour radio programs produced, written, hosted, and edited by Fred Flaxman
©2006 by Compact Discoveries, Inc.
Program 91
"Nazareth Encore"
MUSIC: clip from Ernesto Nazareth’s Nené performed by Thomas Tirino, piano [Koch International Classics KIC-CD-7547, track 10] [under the following]
Welcome to Compact Discoveries. I’m your guide, Fred Flaxman, and for the next hour we’re going to explore more of the music of the Brazilian composer Ernesto Nazareth. Nazareth, who lived from 1863 until 1934, was the Brazilian Chopin. Instead of being inspired by Polish mazurkas and polonaises, he was influenced by Brazilian tangos and waltzes. The end result is a delightful collection of pieces that are full of beautiful melodies and infectious rhythms.
MUSIC: fades out
Nazareth was my very first compact discovery and he continues to be one of my favorite composers for the piano. So this is the second hour that I am devoting completely to his music, which I hope will be a real compact discovery for you, too.
Unlike Chopin, who wrote almost entirely for solo piano but who managed to create some pieces for piano and orchestra and even a beautiful cello sonata, Ernesto Júlio de Nazareth wrote only for solo piano. But he wrote more than 400 pieces for this instrument!
Some of these pieces have been transcribed for other instruments, and I’m going to start off this hour going back and forth between the piano originals and these transcriptions.
Let’s start with Odeon, which was named after the movie theater in Rio de Janeiro where Nazareth accompanied silent films. First we’ll hear the original piano piece as performed by Maria José Carrasqueira; then a guitar transcription by David Burgess.
MUSIC: Nazareth: Odeon, performed by Maria José Carrasqueira, pianist [YB Music YBCD025, track 2] [3:10]
MUSIC: Nazareth: Odeon, performed by David Burgess, guitar [Tritone MT006, track 2] [3:01]
First pianist Maria José Carrasqueira performed Ernesto Nazareth’s Brazilian tango Odeon. Then the same piece was performed on guitar by David Burgess.
Our next Ernesto Nazareth side-by-side will be of a piece called Brejeiro, which means Mischievous in Portuguese. If you heard the first hour that Compact Discoveries devoted to Nazareth pieces, you heard this piece played on the piano by Thomas Tirino. This time the original version will be performed by Brazilian concert pianist Iara Behs, followed by Paula Robison on the flute accompanied by guitars, cavaquinho and percussion.
MUSIC: Nazareth: Brejeiro, performed by Iara Behs, pianist [Naxos 8.557687, track 2] [1:57]
MUSIC: Nazareth: Brejeiro, performed by Paul Robison, flute, and a Brazilian band [Omega OCD-3016, track 11] [4:28]
Ernesto Nazareth’s Brejeiro, first performed by pianist Iara Behs, then by flutist Paula Robison with a Brazilian band. The original piano piece was less than two minutes long. The jazzed up flute version was more than twice as long.
Let’s hear one more side-by-side with Paula Robison and her friends. This is one of my very favorite Nazareth pieces. It’s called Apanhei-te cavaquinho, which means “I’ve caught you, little Brazilian guitar.” First we hear the original version for piano, performed by Thomas Tirino. Then we hear Paula Robison, and you’ll understand the reason for the name of the piece.
MUSIC: Nazareth: Apanhei-te cavaquinho, performed by Thomas Tirino, pianist [Koch International Classics KIC-CD-7547, track 18] [2:14]
MUSIC: Nazareth: Apanhei-te cavaquinho, performed by Paula Robison, flute, and a Brazilian band [Omega OCD-3016, track 17] [2:09]
Apanhei-te cavaquinho by Ernesto Nazareth. First we heard the original version for piano played by Thomas Tirino, then a transcription for flute and Brazilian band performed by Paula Robison.
If I were a composer, I think I would orchestrate a suite of music by Nazareth, much as Respighi did with Rossini’s tuneful piano pieces. And if I were a choreographer, I would turn Nazareth’s dances for piano into an orchestral ballet. But as all I know how to do is to spin CDs, let’s move on to one final Nazareth transcription.
This is another one for guitar played by David Burgess. With as many Nazareth CDs that I’ve managed to collect over the years, I don’t have one which contains the original piano version of this piece, so I’m extra grateful to David Burgess for bringing this lovely little piece to my attention -- and to yours.
MUSIC: Nazareth: Nove de Mayo, performed by David Burgess, guitar [Tritone TTN 007] [2:44]
Guitarist David Burgess performed his transcription of Ernesto Nazareth’s piano piece, Nove de Mayo. The name means ninth of May in Portuguese, which, by pure coincidence, is my birth date. I don’t know what significance this date has to Brazilians or had to Ernesto Nazareth, but it was kind of him to anticipate my birth and write a piece for it, wasn’t it?
Well, the rest of this hour will be devoted to Nazareth’s music exactly as he wrote it, for piano.
I closed a previous hour of Nazareth’s music with a piece appropriately called Adieu. But I had time for only a little clip from this beautiful work, which lasts a bit over five minutes. So I’m bringing it back at this point in this hour so that I can be sure to fit in the entire piece. It is performed by Thomas Tirino.
MUSIC: Nazareth: Adieu, performed by Thomas Tirino, pianist [Koch International Classics KIC-CD-7547, track 12] [5:25]
Adieu, by Ernesto Nazareth, performed by pianist Thomas Tirino on a Koch International compact disc.
My previous hour of Nazareth music was performed entirely by Thomas Tirino, and yet I didn’t manage to get in several pieces from that recording which I wanted to share with you. So here they are now. They are four of the main reasons for this second hour devoted to Nazareth.
First let’s listen to Nené, which means a baby. Thomas Tirino writes that its swinging tempo and barely perceptible delayed downbeat makes this one of Nazareth’s most delightful works.
MUSIC: Nazareth: Nené, performed by Thomas Tirino, pianist [Koch International Classics KIC-CD-7547, track 10] [2:48]
Ernesto Nazareth’s Nené, played by Thomas Tirino on the piano.
You are listening to Compact Discoveries. I’m your guide, Fred Flaxman, and the theme for this hour is “A Nazareth Encore.” This is a second hour of music by the Brazilian composer, who lived from 1863 until 1934.
Another Brazilian tango by Ernesto Nazareth now. It’s called
Espalhafatoso, which means
Fussy
in Portuguese. The pianist, Thomas Tirino, describes this piece as
blustery and bombastic, capturing the mood of someone yelling about
every little thing that annoys him, to the point of being crazy.
MUSIC: Nazareth: Espalhafatoso,
performed by Thomas Tirino, pianist [Koch International Classics
KIC-CD-7547, track 11] [2:44]
Espalhafatoso/Fussy, by Ernesto Nazareth. The pianist was Thomas
Tirino.
Our next piece, Ameno
reseá, takes its title from the name of a particular carnival at
the time. The right hand suggests a flute player’s improvisation of a
melody over a guitar accompaniment. Nazareth wrote in the manuscript
that “the accompaniment should imitate the small Brazilian guitar,” and
he began all his public performances at the Odeon movie house with this
piece.
MUSIC: Nazareth: Ameno reseá,
performed by Thomas Tirino, pianist [Koch International Classics
KIC-CD-7547, track 16] [2:48]
Ameno reseá by Ernesto Nazareth. The pianist was Thomas Tirino.
One more piece played by Thomas Tirino, now: a waltz by Nazareth called Coraçäo que sente / A Heart that Feels. It was written in 1903
and dedicated to one of his students, a lady with whom he had an
extremely close relationship until the end of his life. It is the one
piece that Nazareth always included in all his performances and
recitals.
MUSIC: Nazareth: Coraçäo que sente
, performed by Thomas Tirino, pianist [Koch International Classics
KIC-CD-7547, track 19] [4:36]
Coraçäo que sente by Ernesto Nazareth, performed by pianist
Thomas Tirino.
The final two Nazareth piano pieces in this hour
will be performed by Brazilian pianist Maria José Carrasqueira. First
the tango, Ouro Sobre Azul /Gold on
Blue, which refers to something very beautiful; then the waltz Epônina. Epônina is a girl’s name.
MUSIC: Nazareth: Ouro Sobre Azul,
performed by Maria José Carrasqueira, pianist [YB Music YBCD025, track
5] [5:03]
MUSIC: Nazareth: Epônina,
performed by Maria José Carrasqueira, pianist [YB Music YBCD025, track
1] [6:11]
Ouro Sobre Azul and Epônina by Ernesto Nazareth, performed by Maria José Carrasqueira.
You
have been listening to Compact
Discoveries. I’m your guide, Fred Flaxman. This hour was the
second devoted to the piano music of Ernesto Nazareth, and, I think I
still have enough terrific Nazareth music for a third hour without
repeating anything from the first two. So do let me know if you would
like to hear more or if you have had enough! I can be reached through
the Compact Discoveries
website: www.compactdiscoveries.com.
MUSIC: Nazareth: Carioca,
performed by Thomas Tirino, pianist [Koch
International Classics
KIC-CD-7547, track 9] [under the following]
The website has articles on compact discs, a list of all
Compact Discoveries
programs with short descriptions as well as complete scripts. The
scripts include information on every CD played on every program. There
are also sections of listener comments and a list of stations carrying
the series. The web address again is www.compactdiscoveries.com.
I would like to thank my Brazilian daughter-in-law, Tereza
Flaxman, once again, for her help with pronunciations of her native
language. And, above all, I want to thank the public radio
listeners who support classical music on public radio with their wallets
as well as their ears.
Compact
Discoveries
is a registered trademark and production of Compact Discoveries, Inc.
Production of this program is made possible in part by the members of
WXEL-FM, West Palm Beach, Florida.
MUSIC: up and fade out at 57:00
