Almeida Prado: Piano Trios / Cello Sonata / Ballade

The music of José Antônio de Almeida Prado is the result of an exciting combination of various influences. A large part of Almeida Prado's output is devoted to chamber music. The "Trio de Fontainebleau" is marked by the atmosphere of his time studying in France with Nadia Boulanger. The "Balada" is characteristic of the composer's mature style, with textures based on resonances, free modalism, consonant 'transtonal harmony', and the alternation between simple and complex rhythms. The "Trio Marítimo" evokes the Portuguese poetry of Fernando Pessoa, while the Cello Sonata, with its expressive palette of allusions, was considered by the composer himself to be one of his greatest achievements. This release was preceded by a recording of Almeida Prado's works for violin and cello by the same musicians, which was enthusiastically received by the press.

Brazilian pianist Sonia Rubinsky was awarded Best Classical Album at the 2009 Latin Grammy Awards for the eighth volume of the complete works of Heitor Villa-Lobos. She has also received rave reviews for her recordings of Bach works titled "Magna Sequentia I, II, and III". The composer Almeida Prado dedicated several of his works to her, and his Sonata for Cello and Piano was commissioned by and dedicated to Rubinsky and cellist Antonio Meneses.

The "Music of Brazil" series is part of the "Brasil em Concerto" project, initiated by the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to promote the music of Brazilian composers since the 18th century. Around 100 orchestral works from the 19th and 20th centuries are being recorded by the Minas Gerais Philharmonic Orchestra, the Goiás Philharmonic Orchestra, and the São Paulo Symphony Orchestra. Most of the works recorded for the series have never before been available on record outside Brazil; many others are world premiere recordings.