Oscar Lorenzo Fernândez
, born in 1897, was ten years younger than
Heitor Villa-Lobos
, and he is best known for an orchestral piece called
Batuque
, that is rooted in Afro-Brazilian rhythms. Yet his music generally doesn't sound much like
Villa-Lobos
', and this collection of his short keyboard pieces (he wrote about 80 of them) from pianist
Martin Jones
is welcome. Some of them are early works that follow
Debussy
rather than
and have little specifically Brazilian content. Even in this student phase of
Fernândez
's career, he seems to have had a characteristic lyrical quality. The centerpiece is a trio of 1930s works called Suite Brasileira, each with three movements. Even here,
is not really a follower of
. In a way, he is more conservative, but this means he can explore charming Brazilian pop genres like the modinha and the serenade-like semesta that
rarely touched. He was also capable, however, of the big, public-facing Afro-Brazilian mode, as can be heard in the Jongo finale of the
Suite Brasileira No. 3
. Pianist
seems to have undertaken this project out of sheer enthusiasm, and it is likely to find admirers even in Brazil; he catches a quiet tuneful quality in
's music that makes for delightful listening. The
Nimbus
label backs him up with ideal sound from the Wyastone Estate Concert Hall. ~ James Manheim