Musica para piano (review)
- Música para piano
Few Brazilian composers have received as much national and international acclaim as Ricardo Tacuchian in the past twenty years. His works are regularly performed in festivals in Brazil and Europe, and he has received some important prizes in the United States. He is also an elected member and past president of the Brazilian Academy of Music (ABM), the august institution founded by Heitor Villa-Lobos.
The reception Tacuchian's works are now receiving is more than overdue, especially because he has been active in his native Rio de Janeiro since the early 1970s. At that time, the diffusion of his works was problematic mainly because of his political views toward the military dictatorship. Fortunately, he is now considered one of Brazil's leading composers and, through his exemplary didactic activities at the Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (UNIRIO), he has been endowing the newest generation of carioca musicians with a solid formation.
As a part of ABM's digital series, Tacuchian's piano music has been recently released in CD format. This should be an item of interest not only for the scholar of Brazilian music, but to anyone interested in the sometimes tortuous avenues contemporary music has been taking in the past decades in the Americas. The selections range from two neoclassical/nationalist piano sonatas from the 1960s (they actually close the CD) to three post-modern pieces—Lamento pelas crianças que choram, Manjericão, and Leblon à tarde—from 2003. Although the time span of these works allowed for a great deal of aesthetic evolution, it is easy to deduce in them the composer's general traits, such as a craftsman's attention to detail, expertly written pianism (since the piano is Tacuchian's instrument), and an ever-present dialectic between form and expressiveness.
The works are performed by six accomplished pianists, who recorded the tracks in different locations and dates. Although one can still hear the [End Page 365] highly personal style of individual performers, meticulous mastering has accomplished a welcome sound homogeneity. In a country with so much great music and so little archiving practices as Brazil, this CD provides an invaluable source for libraries and music schools. Additionally, its high level of works and interpretations should make it a welcome addition to the music library of anyone interested in high-quality contemporary music.
Márcio Bezerra is adjunct professor of piano at Palm Beach Atlantic College in Florida. A native of Recife, Brazil, he received his doctorate from the University of Arizona. As well as writing about contemporary art music, he is active as a performing pianist.
