Portuguese composer Luís de Freitas Branco (1890-1955) was his country’s first great symphonist, and although almost totally neglected outside of his native land, his richly varied output holds its own against the international competition very well. Freitas Branco began his career influenced by French Impressionism, and Vathek, a set of variations on an Arabic theme, is an extraordinary masterpiece that would grace any concert program. The tune itself is haunting and the individual movements are absolutely ingenious and fantastically scored (especially the remarkable Third Variation, for strings divided into 59 real parts!). The Suite Alentejo No. 2 takes its themes from the eponymous region of Portugal, and like all Freitas Branco’s music it combines the maximum local color with immaculate formal control, making this much more than a mere potpourri based on folk tunes. The performances, recorded in Hungary in 1985, are thoroughly adept, and the sonics are somewhat dry in the manner of Hungaroton’s Bartók recordings with the same forces. The label, Strauss/Portugalsom, is not generally available, though discs can be ordered direct at very reasonable prices from [email protected].
