Three Preludes, George Gershwin

George Gershwin

George Gershwin (1898 –1937) was an american pianist and

composer. He had a few piano teachers, but his main professor was Charles Hambitzer, who introduced him to classical music. Also he studied with Rubin Goldmark and Henry Cowell.

Gershwin stayed in Paris for a short period of time during which he applied to study composition with the famous instructor Nadia Boulanger. He admired Debussy and Ravel, as we find their influences in Gershwin’s music. Growing tired of the Parisian musical scene, Gershwin returned to the United States.

He was a composer with an extreme ability to manipulate forms of music into his own unique voice, mixing american music popular as jazz into the «classical style». Some his works includes Rhapsody in Blue, an American in Paris, and the opera Porg and Bessy.

75th anniversary of the death of composer George Gershwin

Gershwin isn't an unknown composer, but since this year is Gershwin's celebration, MusiDescobrir will record some of his works.

Vianna da Motta - Au bord du lac de Pena

Vianna da Motta

José Vianna da Motta (1868 – 1948) was a portuguese composer and pianist.

He started his musical studies in Conservatório Nacional (Lisbon).  With the support of king D. Fernando and Condessa d’Edla , he went to Berlin to continue his studies. He worked with Xaver Scharwenka, Philip Scharwenka and Carl Schaeffer. Also he worked with Franz Liszt and Hans Von Bullow.

Vianna da Motta was very renowed for his musical interpretations.  He was the first pianist to play all the Beethoven’s sonatas in Portugal.

As a composer, he wrote in a romantic style, being almost his works for piano. Some of his works includes Portuguese Rhpasodies, Ballade op. 16 and the symphonie À Pátria.

Alfredo Casella - Toccata

Alfredo Casella

Alfredo Casella (1883-1947) was an italian pianist and composer.

He was raised into a music family. His grandfather was the first celist in «São Carlos Theather» (Lisbon) and in Royal Chapel (Turim). His father, Carlo Casella, was a celist and his mother  was Casella’s first teacher,

In 1896, Casella went to Paris to follow his musical studies; he worked with Louis Diémer (piano) and Gabril Fauré (composition). During his Parisian period, Claude Debussy, Igor Stravinsky, and Manuel de Falla were acquaintances, and he was in contact with Ferruccio Busoni, Gustav Mahler, and Richard Strauss as well.

Altough he admired Debussy’s works, Casella pursued a more romantic vein.  He wrote for piano, orchestral and chamber music. Some of his best known compositions includes A Notte Alta, the Sonatina, Nove Pezzi, and the Six Studies, Op. 70, for piano