Freitas Branco: Violin Sonatas Nos. 1 & 2

One of the most accomplished and influential Portuguese composers of the twentieth century, Luís de Freitas Branco brought the influence of César Franck to his native Lisbon with his Sonata No. 1, scandalizing his conservative elders with the work’s harmonic language and evolving tonality. The high romance and dreamy flow of this first sonata and that of the gorgeous Prelude both contrast with the neo-classical clarity of the Sonata No. 2, which dates from the composer’s second creative period. Freitas Branco’s Four Symphonies and several other orchestral works have been released on Naxos to great critical acclaim.