A prominent Brazilian composer and pianist influenced by European musical culture, Henrique Oswald lived between 1852 and 1931. He studied in São Paulo and in Italy, in Florence; he was inspired by Italian, French, and German Romantic creation. After returning to his hometown, he led the National Institute of Music in Rio de Janeiro. He composed operas, vocal pieces, sacred creations, chamber and orchestral scores, characterized by dense instrumental textures, complex structures, and a Romantic discourse blended with modern language elements.

Three of his compositions - Elegia, Symphony Op. 43, and Sinfonietta in D minor - are included on the album recorded in February 2024 and released on March 13th, 2026, by Naxos label, by the Minas Gerais Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Fabio Mechetti, who has been its artistic director since 2008, the year the ensemble was founded.

The disc is part of the project The Music of Brazil, developed by the Musica Brasilis Institute in collaboration with renowned artists and musicologists, aiming to promote the works of Brazilian composers active over the past three centuries.

From this album, I propose the Symphony Op. 43, composed by Henrique Oswald around 1910, a flourishing period for Brazilian musical art. The composer dedicated this symphony to his wife; it was first performed in Rio de Janeiro in 1918 performed by the Colón Theater Orchestra of Buenos Aires. Considered one of the composer's most important symphonic achievements, the work was praised by musicologist Mário de Andrade for its significant role in Brazilian Romantic and modern culture, its compact and balanced writing, and its melodic flexibility.

The four movements of Symphony Op. 43 by Henrique Oswald - Allegro moderato, Adagio, Scherzo, and Allegro deciso - are performed exemplarily by the Minas Gerais Philharmonic Orchestra, which, under the baton of Fabio Mechetti, highlights the Romantic atmosphere, the richness of sound, the rhythmic complexity, and the colorful instrumental dialogues of this work.