Role

:

Composer Conductor  

Country

:

Brazil

Birth

:

January 27, 1906 in Puerto Alegre

Death

:

January 13, 1988 in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil

Genre

:

Chamber

 

 

Keyboard

 

Radamés Gnattali was a Brazilian composer, arranger, and conductor who was born on January 27, 1906, in Porto Alegre, Brazil. He was the son of an Italian immigrant father and a Brazilian mother. His father was a musician who played the mandolin and guitar, and he introduced Radamés to music at a young age. Radamés began playing the piano when he was six years old, and he later learned to play the guitar and the cavaquinho, a small Brazilian string instrument. As a teenager, Radamés began performing in local dance bands and orchestras. He also studied music theory and composition with the Brazilian composer and conductor Francisco Braga. In 1924, Radamés moved to Rio de Janeiro to pursue a career in music. He quickly became a sought-after pianist and arranger, and he began working with some of the most prominent musicians and composers in Brazil. In the 1930s, Radamés became interested in the music of the French composer Maurice Ravel, and he began incorporating elements of Ravel's style into his own compositions. He also became interested in Brazilian folk music and began incorporating elements of samba, choro, and other Brazilian styles into his music. One of Radamés' most famous works is his Concerto for Guitar and Orchestra, which he composed in 1951. The concerto is a fusion of Brazilian and classical music styles, and it features virtuosic guitar solos and lush orchestration. The concerto has become a staple of the classical guitar repertoire and has been recorded by many of the world's leading guitarists. Radamés also composed a number of works for solo guitar, including his Suite Retratos, which is a set of four character pieces inspired by Brazilian personalities. The suite includes portraits of the Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos, the poet Manuel Bandeira, the writer Mário de Andrade, and the painter Portinari. In addition to his work as a composer, Radamés was also a prolific arranger and conductor. He arranged music for many of Brazil's most famous singers, including Carmen Miranda and Elis Regina. He also conducted the Brazilian Symphony Orchestra and the Rio de Janeiro Symphony Orchestra. Radamés died on February 13, 1988, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He left behind a legacy as one of Brazil's most important composers and arrangers, and his music continues to be performed and recorded around the world.

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