Fernando Lopes Graça: Songs to Poetic and Folk Texts
The Portuguese composer Fernando Lopes Graça (1906–94) was one of the thousands of victims of Salazar’s right-wing dictatorship: his works were confiscated, and he was prohibited from teaching. He responded in music, with a prolific output inspired by both folk-music and the evolving musical language of his European contemporaries, marrying tradition and modernism. His songs for voice and piano set texts from both popular and ‘high’ culture, unified by his ardent humanist outlook and the dignified manner in which he expressed it.
Susana Gaspar, soprano
André Baleiro, baritone
Nuno Vieira de Almeida, piano
Listen To This Recording:
Seven Negro-American Folksongs, Op. 75/LG195 (1952) (16:05)
- No. 1 You may bury me in the East (2:29)
- No. 2 Sunday mornin’ ban’ (1:53)
- No. 3 In this lan’ (3:00)
- No. 4 Shepherd, shepherd (1:43)
- No. 5 Screw this cotton (1:38)
- No. 6 Calvary (3:38)
- No. 7 John Henry (1:44)
Tríptico de D. João, Op. 246/LG247 (1990)* (5:23)
- I. Orgulho de D. João no inferno (1:35)
- II. Lamento de D. João no inferno (2:17)
- III. Sarcasmo de D. João no inferno (1:31)
Duas Canções de ‘Finis Patriae’, Op. 65/LG186 (1950–51) (9:55)
- No. 1 Mar pavoroso, mar tenebroso (3:12)
- No. 2 Falam pocilgas de operários* (6:43)
- O Cavador, LG186 (195?)* (3:59)
Quatre Sonnets de Ronsard, Op. 162/LG229 (1965)* (13:18)
- No. 1 Je n’ay plus que les os (3:36)
- No. 2 Ah! Longues nuicts d’hyver (3:36)
- No. 3 Quoy! Mon ame, dors tu engourdie (2:59)
- No. 4 Il faut laisser maisons et vergers… (3:07)
Dois Sonetos de António Nobre, Op. 70/LG190 (1951)
- No. 1 Ó virgens que passais
- Terra e Céu, Op. 83/LG197 (1955) (1:53)
Duas Cantigas de Embalar, Op. 122/LG207 (1959)* (3:57)
- No. 1 O meu menino é um anjo (2:03)
- No. 2 Faze ó ó meu pequenino (1:54)
Canções Populares Portuguesas
Série II, Op. 37/LG171 (1946)
- No. 6 Ó minha amora madura (1:02)
Série III, Op. 49/LG178 (1947–49)
- No. 13 Ó, ó, menino, ó (2:27)
- No. 12 Canto da carregação (1:35)
Série II, Op. 37/LG171
- No. 24 Ó Senhora Mãe dos homens (1:53)
*First Recordings

Reviews
There are no reviews yet.