GUIOMAR NOVAES (1895-1979)
Brazilian pianist

Throughout her long career, Guiomar Novaes was considered by her peers, her critics, and her public to have been one of the greatest pianists of the 20th Century. At the age of 14, her playing amazed Debussy who, along with the other judges, including Faure and Moskowski, awarded her first place out of almost 400 applicants to the Paris Conservatory in 1909.

Early in her career, the New York Times called her "a musician by the grace of God," and the Boston Globe declared her "the young genius of the piano."  At her prime, in the 1950s, Harold Schonberg compared her playing to that of Josef Hofmann.  And she was dubbed "the Paderewski of the Pampas."  Though she was from Brazil and not from the Argentine, this made for good copy.

Guiomar Novaes recorded quite extensively from the 1920s to the 1960s.  And yet recordings of this magnificent pianist are scarce today with only a handful currently in print.  Had she been a man, her name would be keeping company with the likes of Rubinstein and Horowitz.  But even the greatest of the women pianists seem to have a short shelf life once they have left the concert stage, and the world of the living.  This is a disgrace.

Novaes was most highly esteemed for her performances of Chopin and Schumann, and to a lesser degree Debussy.  As you will hear from the selection of music offered here, Guiomar Novaes was a consummate artist and her genius did not discriminate.  The Brahms, Liszt and Mozart examples, the concerti and the Siloti transcription of the Bach Organ Prelude will attest to that.  In the Bach, she achieves textures and changes in sonorities strongly reminiscent of the organ.  This is a stunningly beautiful rendition of this work.

And her Beethoven.  Oh. . . her Beethoven.

Novaes plays Chopin wonderfully and it is our good fortune that a Brazilian pianist who goes by the name of bernardocarmopiano on YouTube has made available numerous examples of Guiomar Novaes playing the works of Chopin. Thank you Bernardo! I would also like to thank several other YouTubers who go by the names of Beckmesser2, pianopera, classicvinylbiz, Gullivior, pianushko and Pabeet who have made a numerous Novaes recordings available to us.

On the Guiomar Novaes plays Encores page are delicious short pieces by Albéniz-Godowsky, Gluck-Sgambati, Pinto, Villa-Lobos, Mompou, Moszkowski, and others.  And on the Novaes plays Concerti page, Beethoven, Chopin, Schumann, Grieg, and de Falla.

Bach-Siloti  Organ Prelude in G minor, BWV 535

recorded in 1952