Pedro de Freitas Branco

Pedro de Freitas Branco (1896–1963) was a Portuguese conductor and composer.

Life and career

Branco was born in Lisbon, and studied music with Tomás Vaz de Borba and Luís de Freitas Branco (his elder brother). and when the concerto was recorded soon after the premiere, his name appeared as conductor on the label of the disc and in advertisements, but in fact Branco conducted the orchestra under Ravel's supervision at the recording sessions.

By the 1940s Branco was regarded as the leading conductor in Lisbon. In 1943 he conducted at the Venice Biennale. He guest conducted in several other European countries including France, Germany, Spain and Britain.

The singer Astra Desmond praised Branco for "his magnificent musicianship, his immersion in the spirit and style of whatever composer he is playing, his boundless enthusiasm and complete selflessness".

Recordings Recordings conducted by Branco include: Beethoven – Violin Concerto (David Oistrakh, soloist) Falla – El amor brujo Falla – El retablo de maese Pedro Falla – El sombrero de tres picos, Suite no. 2 Hindemith – Overture Neues vom Tage Ravel – Alborada del gracioso Ravel – Boléro Ravel – La valse Ravel – Pavane pour une infante defunte Ravel – Piano Concerto in G major (Marguerite Long, soloist) Ravel – Valses nobles et sentimentales Roussel – Suite in F Schumann – Symphony No 2 Stravinsky – The Rite of Spring Tchaikovsky – Violin Concerto (David Oistrakh, soloist) Vaughan Williams – Symphony No. 9 Weber – Overture Der Freischütz Source: WorldCat.

References and sources