Libera Me (1957)
by M. Camargo Guarnieri (1907-1993)
Indictus Project
www.indictus.org
Regina Stroncek, soprano I
Elissa Alvarez, soprano II
Thea Lobo, alto
Sam Nelson, organ
M. Camargo Guarnieri (1907-1993) was a composer, conductor, and professor from São Paulo, Brazil. He was a direct descendent of Italian immigrants, and music played an important role in his family. He initially took piano lessons from his parents at a young age and wrote his first composition at the age of 10. Later he studied piano with Ernani Braga and composition with Lamberto Baldi. Through the mentorship of writer Mário de Andrade, Guarnieri regularly reflected on aesthetics, literature, and Brazilian culture, which influenced the Brazilian nationalistic style he is known for today. Guarnieri is recognized for his works throughout Brazil and internationally. He has written over 600 works, most prominently for piano, strings, and voice. Guarnieri directed the Coral Paulistano, and Orquestra Sinfônica da Universidade de São Paulo (OSUSP), and mentored generations of Brazilian composers. His choral works are known for their counterpoint, scalar motion, and chromaticism. Of his 54 works for choir, the majority are in manuscript form.
- Regina Stroncek
The digital Æolian organ in this recording was developed and provided by Pat Graham Crowe II: www.PatGrahamCrowe.com
Artwork: A primeira missa no Brasil (The First Mass in Brazil), by Candido Portinari