New York, NY (Top40 Charts) 27-year-old Brazilian classical guitarist Plínio Fernandes has released his major label debut solo album, Saudade via Decca Gold.
Born and raised in São Paulo, Brazil, Plínio Fernandes' musical talent has brought him all over the world, including to the Royal Academy of
Music in London where he received his master's degree and has lived for the last seven years. With Saudade, an entrancing collection of works for solo guitar, Fernandes makes his auspicious recording debut for Decca Records US, weaving together all his musical loves and telling his complex and captivating international story in sound. "I chose songs that I grew up listening to," Fernandes explains, "and in many cases I fell in love with the guitar through them." We hear that boundless love, that charge of artistic talent in early bloom, throughout Saudade.
The album also features special guests Sheku Kanneh-Mason on cello in Villa-Lobos' flowing and lyrical Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5: I. Aria (Cantilena), Braimah Kanneh-Mason (Sheku's brother) on violin in Menino, and renowned vocalist
Maria Rita in a rendition of O Mundo É Um Moinho.
We also hear Fernandes evoke his love for a far-off home, Brazil, a wistful love that renders the passionate expression in his guitar work all the more palpable. "I've found a home in London, and I plan to stay," he says, "but the title Saudade means nostalgia, longing for something, which is literally what I feel here. The way I connect to Brazil and my identity as a Brazilian artist is through music." To that end, Fernandes performs a virtuosic, soaringly melodic set that spans a wide range: from the famous Five Preludes of Heitor Villa-Lobos - the towering representative of 20th-century classical music in Brazil - to the timeless songs of Antônio
Carlos Jobim,
Milton Nascimento, Jacob do Bandolim, Violeta Parra, Edu Lobo, Cartola, and more.
In addition to releasing Saudade, Fernandes is also committed to music education and was recently invited to join the
Music Masters charity as an ambassador. In this capacity he'll be performing, teaching, and guiding young musicians in schools, carrying on the pedagogic traditions and practices that started him on his path.
Saudade Tracklist:
1. Assanhado - Jacob do Bandolim
2. The Girl From Ipanema - Antônio
Carlos Jobim
3. Beatriz - Edu Lobo,
Chico Buarque
4. Aquarelle: II. Valseana - Sérgio Assad
5. Aquarela do Brasil - Ary Barroso
6. Bachianas brasileiras No. 5: I. Aria (Cantilena): Adagio (feat. Sheku Kanneh-Mason) - Heitor Villa-Lobos
7. Ponta de Areia -
Milton Nascimento, Fernando Brant
8. 5 Preludes, W419: No.1 in E Minor - Heitor Villa-Lobos
9. 5 Preludes, W419: No. 2 in E Major - Heitor Villa-Lobos
10. 5 Preludes, W419: No. 3 in A Minor - Heitor Villa-Lobos
11. 5 Preludes, W419: No. 4 in E Minor - Heitor Villa-Lobos
12. 5 Preludes, W419: No. 5 in D Major - Heitor Villa-Lobos
13. O Mundo É Um Moinho (feat.
Maria Rita) - Angenor de Oliveira
14. Recuerdos de Ypacarai - Zulema de Mirkin, Demetrio Ortíz
15. Samba do Avião - Antônio
Carlos Jobim
16. Gracias A La Vida - Violeta Parra
17. Se todos fossem iguais a você / Águas de Março Medley - Antônio
Carlos Jobim
18. Menino (feat. Braimah Kanneh-Mason) - Sérgio Assad
Born into a family of musicians, Plínio Fernandes received his first guitar lessons from his father. At the age of 12, after winning national youth guitar competitions, he played as a guest soloist with the Campo Grande Symphony Orchestra and took private lessons in São Paulo from the renowned teacher Henrique Pinto and later, at 16, from Pinto's student and protégé,
Fabio Zanon. Fernandes then received a full scholarship to attend the International Campos do Jordão Winter Festival from 2011-2014. During that period, he gave recitals and performed in chamber concerts in some 35 cities throughout Brazil and Chile. Encouraged by his family and teachers, he made the move to London to pursue a career as a concert musician. His teachers at the Royal Academy of
Music (2014-2020) included Zanon, Prof. Michael Lewin, Steve Goss, and
David Russell, under a full scholarship funded by the Brazilian Ministry of Education.
