Gnattali, Radamés
Gnattali, Radamés
Gnattali, Radamés, Brazilian pianist, conductor, arranger, and composer; b. Porto Alegre, Jan. 27, 1906; d. Rio de Janeiro, Feb. 3, 1988. He was a pupil of Fontainha at the Porto Alegre Cons. After obtaining his degree from the Instituto de Belas-Artes in Porto Alegre (1924), he studied harmony with Franga at the Escola Nacional de Musica in Rio de Janeiro. For some years he was director of the Radio Nacional in Rio de Janeiro, and then was active as a performer, arranger, and composer. From 1967 to 1970 he worked for TV Globo in Sao Paulo as an arranger and conductor. In 1945 he was made a member of the Academia Brasiliera de Musica. From his earliest years as a composer he wrote works in which jazz and indigenous rhythms and harmonies predominated.
Works
Rapsodia Brasileira for Orch. (1931); 4 piano concertos (1934,1936,1960,1967); Cello Concerto (1941); 14 Brasilianas for Various Instruments or Orch. (1944 et seq.); 3 violin concertos (1947, 1962, 1969); Variances for Piano, Violin, and Orch. (1949); Concerto romdntico No. 1 (1949) and No. 2 (1964) for Piano and Orch.; 3 Concertos cariocas for Soloists and Orch. (1950-70); 3 Sinfonias populares (1955, 1962, 1969); Harp Concerto (1958); 2 string quartets; piano pieces, including 2 sonatas.
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire