. . . or click on the link here for Audio Player – Guarnieri – Flor de Temembé – NBC Studio Orch. Josef Stulpak, Cond. – June 24, 1943 – Gordon Skene Sound Collection.
The name Camargo Guarnieri may not be completely familiar to a lot of people, but it also isn’t completely obscure either. Maybe not as well known as fellow Brazilian Heitor Villa-Lobos, but in the early 20th century was certainly considered an up-and-comer. Spending much time in Paris, studying under Charles Koechlin, Guarnieri received considerable attention in the U.S. in the 1930s and was awarded several prizes for his works.
This piece, Flor de Temembé was written in 1937 and is most likely receiving its first U.S. premier from this broadcast, part of the series Music Of The New World from NBC Radio in June of 1943. The NBC Studio orchestra is led by Josef Stulpak, who regularly lead the orchestra for this series as well as several other New Music series from NBC Radio.
After studying with Koechlin in Paris, Guarnieri settled back in his native Brazil and, aside from periodic tours of the U.S., conducting his own works in Los Angeles, New York, Boston and several other major cities, Guarnieri became a fixture in the musical life of Sao Paulo, becoming director of the Conservatory there.
Shortly before his death in 1993, Camargo Guarnieri was awarded the Gabriela Mistral Prize from the Organization of American States as the Greatest Contemporary Composer of the Americas.
To get acquainted with the music of Comargo Guanieri, here is that 1943 broadcast performance of Flor de Temembé as performed by the NBC Studio Orchestra, conducted by Josef Stulpak.
A colorful work by a major composer. Besides the folk roots , a captivating counterpoint. THX !!