Orquestra Sinfonica Portuguesa - Divertimento / Sinfonieta / Cinco Velhos Romances - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

This collection captures the freshness and excitement of the first years of swing, as bands grew larger and arrangers worked to find a balance between melody and rhythm. From Gene Krupa and his Chicagoans to Paul Whiteman and his Orchestra, these delightful performances present the hot style of the 1930s and 1940s. Album Tracks 1. Break It Down 2. Darktown Strutter's Ball 3. Farewell Blues 4. Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea 5. Business in InchFInch 6. Ocean Motion 7. New Orleans Parade 8. Love in the First Degree 9. Barnyard Cakewalk 10. How Many Times 11. Go Joe Go 12. Tempo Di Jump 13. Eight Bars in Search of a Melody 14. The Last Round-Up 15. Boston Tea Party 16. Sailor Man Rhythm

Álvaro Cassuto's importance to Portuguese cultural life over the last half-century is immense. A significant composer as well as conductor (his music can be heard on Naxos 8.573266), he had already won the Koussevitzky Prize at Tanglewood when he was appointed deputy music director of the Lisbon Radio Orchestra in 1970. This album focuses on the three orchestras he established in later years, all of which set new levels of musical excellence in Portugal. The performances show how, across a variety of repertoire, he revolutionized orchestral standards of music-making in his country and how he personally spearheaded the revival of the music of Joly Braga Santos. Album Tracks 1. Ruslan and Lyudmila Overture (1837-42) 2. Symphony No. 35 'Haffner' (1782) 3. Lohengrin Prelude to Act III (1845-48) 4. Don Juan (1888) 5. Salome Dance of the Seven Veils (1903-05) 6. Staccato Brilhante (1988) 7. Hungarian Dances No. 1 and 5 (1858-68) 8. España (1883)

Fernando Lopes-Graca's importance to 20th-century Portuguese music cannot be overestimated. His study of native songs and traditions has been compared to that of Bartok, and the soulful melodies of the Três cancoes corais are an early example of his highly effective integration of folk style into rigorous historically established forms. From the reverence and purity of the Christmas Cantata songs to the harmonic density of the Três liricas castelhanas de Camoes, the powerful and often deeply moving combination of Lopes-Graca's use of classical structure alongside his country's musical heritage finds it's zenith in his writing for voices. Album Tracks 1. Dos romances viejos (Two Old Romances)~Romance de Rosa Fresca 2. Dos romances viejos (Two Old Romances)~Romance de Fontefrida 3. Três canções regionais portuguesas (Three Portuguese Regional Songs)~Passarinha trigueira (Douro Litoral) 4. Três canções regionais portuguesas (Three Portuguese Regional Songs)~Romance da menina cativa (Trás-os-Montes) 5. Três canções regionais portuguesas (Three Portuguese Regional Songs)~Adeus, vila da Idanha (Beira Baixa) 6. Oito canções da primeira cantata do Natal (Eight Songs from the First Christmas Cantata)~Do varao nasceu a vara (Beira Litoral) 7. Oito canções da primeira cantata do Natal (Eight Songs from the First Christmas Cantata)~Eu hei-de dar ao Menino (Alto Alentejo) 8. Oito canções da primeira cantata do Natal (Eight Songs from the First Christmas Cantata)~Pela noite de Natal (Beira BAixa e Alentejo) 9. Oito canções da primeira cantata do Natal (Eight Songs from the First Christmas Cantata)~Os pastores em Belém (Alto Douro) 10. Oito canções da primeira cantata do Natal (Eight Songs from the First Christmas Cantata)~Confusa, perdida 11. Oito canções da primeira cantata do Natal (Eight Songs from the First Christmas Cantata)~Estas casas sao mui altas