Pedro I of Brazil: Te Deum & Credo —Soloists; Concentus Musicum de Belo Horizonte; Minas Gerais Philharmonic/ Fabio Mechetti (Naxos 574404)
At the beginning of a new concert season, we bring you some music, a composer, soloists, chorus, orchestra and conductor all brand new to the WCLV library! Composer Pedro I of Brazil (178-1834) joins the short list of monarch-musicians that includes Henry VIII of England and Frederick the Great of Prussia. In his brief life (he died at 35), Pedro I mastered composition, was a gifted singer and conductor, and played the piano, flute, clarinet, violin, double bass, trombone, harp and guitar! He also found time to rule Brazil for nine years right after the country had declared its independence from Portugal in 1822. Pedro even wrote an Independence Hymn which to this day is one of the country’s best-loved anthems. The big works here are settings of the Credo which is performed often in Brazil and a Te Deum written to celebrate the birth of the composer’s son in 1820. In his review of this release, David Hurwitz of ClassicsToday.com says, “(N)o one is going to claim that this is great music, but it’s lots of fun, and it sheds light on a fascinating corner of the world that few of us know anything about, especially during this period...(T)he music has a wonderful period flavor, and you’ll enjoy the opportunity to hear it.”