Noble et sentimental: Pedro de Freitas Branco and the Interpretation of Maurice Ravel’s Music I Book by Cesário Costa (CTC) in the media

The launch of the book Noble et sentimental: Pedro de Freitas Branco and the interpretation of Maurice Ravel’s music at the São João National Theatre was highlighted in PÚBLICO/Lusa, with the piece “Investigação de Cesário Costa revela “carreira brilhante” do maestro Pedro de Freitas Branco”, and on Rádio Renascença, to which Cesário Costa gave an interview. The conversation is available on the ‘Ensaio Geral’ programme (11:18 – 15:49). The evening took place on January 18 in Porto and featured a presentation and comments by the author and Luísa Cymbron, in a conversation moderated by Jorge Castro Ribeiro.

Pedro de Freitas Branco (1896-1963) was one of the most prominent figures in 20th-century Portuguese music. Throughout his career, he revitalized the Portuguese musical scene by creating various opera companies, organizing the New Symphonic Concerts of Lisbon, and serving as the conductor of the Orquestra Sinfónica da Emissora Nacional. He also developed an international career, regularly conducting different European orchestras and being regarded as a leading interpreter of Maurice Ravel’s orchestral music.

This book aims to understand the reasons behind the recognition of the Portuguese conductor’s interpretations of the French composer’s works. It also seeks to explore the aesthetic dialogue established between Maurice Ravel and Pedro de Freitas Branco and how this was fundamental to Freitas Branco’s interpretations. Additionally, it examines why the French composer might have prioritized the Portuguese conductor’s interpretations and how Freitas Branco’s approach fits into the interpretive practices of Ravel’s music, alongside other performers of his time, thus defining his unique identity as an interpreter.