I have been studying Brazilian Portuguese for a long time. My Portuguese teacher is a subscriber to this blog, and he sent me some information on a Brazilian pianist whom I didn’t know. I listen to a lot of pianists, and I have never heard playing like this. What is so remarkable about her is the number of colors that she has. Additionally, the phrasing, the voicing, and the rubato are all superb. Apparently, at one time, you could find her recordings everywhere. Now, she has been somewhat forgotten by many. That is the reason for which I am posting her.
Novaes became especially famous for the interpretations of Romantic composers, particularly Frederick Chopin and Robert Schumann. Naveas could make the piano sing like few others.
Beethoven Piano Sonata No. 21, Op. 53, “Waldstein”
Liszt “Valse oubliée” No. 1
Guiomar Novaes
February 28, 1894 – March 7, 1979
Guiomar Novaes was one of the greatest Brazilian pianists in history, with a solid and acclaimed international career in the 20th century. Born on February 28, 1894, in São João da Boa Vista, in the interior of the state of São Paulo, she grew up in a large family of 19 siblings and began playing the piano by ear at just four years of age. At the age of 15, she traveled to Europe with the support of the state government to study at the prestigious Paris Conservatory. In the rigorous entrance exam, she outshone hundreds of candidates and won first place unanimously before a demanding panel composed of illustrious composers such as Claude Debussy and Gabriel Fauré. Novaes quickly became a musical celebrity in Europe and the United States, where she made her hugely successful debut in New York in 1915. Her playing was described as captivating and magnetic, conveying to the audience a profound artistic sensibility and impeccable technique, and she stood out as one of the most celebrated interpreters of the works of Frédéric Chopin and Robert Schumann. Upon her return to Brazil, she actively participated in the historic 1922 Modern Art Week and used her immense global prestige to serve as one of the leading ambassadors and promoters of Brazilian classical music abroad, continuously promoting the compositions of her compatriot Heitor Villa-Lobos. Throughout her distinguished career, she was invited to perform for U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and received important honors, such as the National Order of Merit in Brazil and the Legion of Honor in France. Internationally acclaimed and having left behind a vast and valuable discography.