Freitas Branco: Orchestral Works, Vol. 2: Symphony No. 2 - A

Who was Luís de Freitas Branco? His Second Symphony combines Gregorian themes (Respighi) with richly lyrical chromaticism (Franck). After a reading of Guerra Junqueiro is pure Richard Strauss, Don Juan in particular, right down to the combination of solo violin, harp, and glockenspiel. Artificial Paradises is French, d'Indy trending toward Debussy and Ravel--there's an episode with rippling winds straight out of Daphnis and Chloe, except that the Branco is actually the earlier work (1910), the product of a 20-year-old composer with tremendous gifts.

What makes all of this so fascinating isn't that Branco is derivative, but that the music still rings so true. The Franck is good Franck, the Strauss just as glowing as the real deal. Branco doesn't conceal his influences, he revels in them, and this gives his music an authenticity and focus that makes the issue of sheer originality basically irrelevant. As in previous issues in this series, Álvaro Cassuto is the ideal exponent of his countryman's music, and the sound that Naxos gets in Dublin remains some of the finest on offer from this label. Excellent on all fronts!

--David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com