José Carlos Amaral Vieira was born in Sao Paulo in 1952. A pupil of pianist Souza Lima and composer Artur Hartmann in Brazil, Vieira continued his musical studies in France at the Paris Conservatory with Lucette Descaves and Olivier Messiaen; in Germany at the Freiburger Musikhochschule with Carl Seeman and Konrad Lechner; and in the United Kingdom with Louis Kentner.
By 1977 he had returned to his homeland and embarked on the career of a virtuoso performer, focussing on the standard piano repertoire while introducing numerous of his own compositions on concert programs. His recitals featured some of the most demanding works in the Western canon, including the complete Hungarian Rhapsodies of Franz Liszt. Since that time he has achieved international distinction both as a concert and recording artist, composer, and musicologist, and has appeared throughout the Americas, Europe, and Asia. Among his many honors, Vieira has been the recipient of the Arthur Honegger International Composition Award, a Grand Prix International (Fondation de France), Hungary's Liszt Award, and Japan's Min-On Award.
A highly prolific composer with over five hundred works to his credit, Vieira's original music encompasses an impressively wide variety of genres and styles in both the secular and sacred domains. He is equally in his element whether he chooses to express his ideas in contemporary or traditional tonal idioms. The sheer breadth of his compositional mastery is evident in such contrasting works as his Te Deum in stilo barocco (Te Deum in the Baroque Style), Op. 213 (1986), with its powerful historicist ties to Handel and the eighteenth century, and his Sons inovadores (Sounds of Innovation), Op. 266 (1992), a large symphonic canvas which exploits a vast range of modern orchestral textures and sonorities. Other representative works include the Missa Choralis. Op. 213 (1984); and a series of works inspired by Japanese philosopher, educator, and pacifist Daisaku Ikeda, including "Alvorada de esperança da civilização universal" (Dawn of Hope for Humanistic Civilization), Op. 268, for piano solo (1993); O alvorecer do século da humanidade (Dawn of the Century for Humanity), Op. 259 (1991). for piano and orchestra; Canção da juventude (Song of Youth), Op. 274, for orchestra (1995); and Palavras de encorajamento (Words of Encouragement (Op. 267), for mezzo soprano, tenor, children's choir, mixed chorus, and orchestra (1992).
For further information:
Wikipedia Biography (Portuguese).
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