There aren't that many Portuguese composers on the discographic scene (or the musical scene, full stop): so we should doff our caps for this release of melodies by Fernando Lopes-Graça (1906-1994). A follower of Freitas-Branco in Portugal and then of Koechlin in Paris, he concentrated on the Portuguese folk repertoire, which, while clearly Iberian, differed radically from that of neighbouring Spain. In 1966, he was commissioned by Rostropovitch to write a Cello Concerto, which put him on the musical map of his times. This album offers a broad sample of his melodies, not all of which are Portuguese in inspiration: the Tíz Magyar Népdal ("Ten Magyar Songs") of 1954 are testimony to his obvious admiration for Bartók's work with folk music. And like Bartók, Lopes-Graça was able to take up folk themes and add to them a very elaborate and modern harmonisation, which would often push at the limits of tonality. But whereas the Magyar songs are indeed sung in Hungarian, Nine Russian Folk Songs are sung... in French! The other works, written between 1935 and 1958, cover a broader range of Portuguese heritage, whether religious (Quatre novis cantos do Natal, or "Four new Christmas songs") or more worldly, like some based on classic poetry. Because, from Camõens to Pessoa, via Drummond de Andrade or Guimaraens, Portuguese is first and foremost a language for great poetry. The three soloists: soprano Susana Gaspar, mezzo-soprano Cátia Moreso, tenor Fernando Guimarães, accompanied on the piano by Nuno Vieira de Almeida, share greedily in the melodies. © SM/Qobuz