Claudio Santoro - Symphonies Nos. 13 & 14; Concertos (Neil Thomson)

Information

Composer: Claudio Santoro

• Viola Concerto
• Symphony No. 13
• Concerto for Chamber Orchestra
• Symphony No. 14

Gabriel Marin, viola

Goiás Philharmonic Orchestra

Neil Thomson, conductor

Date: 2025

Label: Naxos

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Claudio Santoro (1919-1989)’s late works are distinguished by their conciseness and emotional intensity. Composed in the final months of his life, the Viola Concerto and Concerto for Chamber Orchestra combine restless energy with expansive, occasionally desolate lyricism. Symphony No. 13 demonstrates Santoro’s command of orchestration and formal structure at its height, while the brief Symphony No. 14 completes a cycle widely regarded as the most significant of its kind in Brazilian music. This album captures the depth, expressiveness, and technical mastery that define the composer’s final, mature creative period.

Neil Thomson (b. 1966) is an English conductor and the artistic director and principal conductor of the Goiás Philharmonic Orchestra since 2014. Previously, he served as principal conductor of the Royal College of Music (1992–2006), where he remains an honorary member. Thomson has led major orchestras including the London, Tokyo, Russian National, and BBC Philharmonic, as well as the Yomiuri Nippon Symphony and São Paulo Symphony (Osesp). He has taught at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, the Kraków Academy of Music, and various festivals. His recordings span the Music of Brazil series for Naxos, including all 14 Santoro symphonies, works by José Siqueira, Edino Krieger, César Guerra-Peixe, Almeida Prado, and Romantic Brazilian repertoire with the English Chamber Orchestra.