LAÉRCIO DE FREITAS PROFILE | MUSIC ON MCB
Photo: Marco Aurelio Olimpio
Graduated in piano at the Carlos Gomes Conservatory, maestro Laércio de Freitas built his career as a pianist, composer and arranger and is present in some of the most important records of Brazilian music. Her work can be heard in essential albums such as “Erasmo” by Erasmo Carlos, “Who’s Who” by João Donato, “Mustang Cor de Blood” by Marcos Valle, “Clara Nunes” (namely and known as Clara’s stars album Nunes), “Elza Soares” (eponymous album from 1973) and “Contraste” by Jards Macalé. He also worked in the groups of maestros Radamés Gnatalli, Severino Araújo and was part of Tamba 4, replacing Luis Eça on the group’s 3rd album.
Throughout his career, he has accompanied artists such as Maria Bethânia, Angela Maria, Wilson Simonal, Ivan Lins, Martinho da Vila, Emilio Santiago, among others.
In the 1990s, he arranged the album “O Boêmio E O Pianista” (1992) – a meeting between singer Nelson Gonçalves and pianist Arthur Moreira Lima. Also for Arthur Moreira Lima, Laércio de Freitas made unpublished transcriptions of the work of Astor Piazzolla (1921-1992), from bandónon to piano. This work resulted in the album “Arthur Moreira Lima interprets Piazzolla” (1997).
His first solo album would come in 1972. “Laércio de Freitas eo Som Roceiro” was released by a small label and became rare and worshiped by new generations of musicians for its daring and fun sound. Recently, the work was re-released and digitized for streaming services. The rediscovery of his authorial work resulted in commemorative concerts and recordings of several presentations. Unfortunately, a large part of Laércio de Freitas’ authorial work has not yet been digitized. Albums such as “São Paulo No Balanço Do Choro”, 1980, and “Terna Saudade”, 1988, remain restricted to collectors and scholars of Brazilian music.
Over the years, Maestro Laércio de Freitas has participated in several projects aimed at honoring the piano and choro, participating and performing arrangements for concerts such as “Memória do Piano Brasileiro”, performed at the Museum of Image and Sound (MIS), “Chorando Alto” and “A blessing Pixinguinha”, performed by SESC São Paulo and “100 Anos de Pixinguinha”, performed by the Banco do Brasil Cultural Center in Rio de Janeiro. In 2006, he released the CD “Laércio de Freitas honors Jacob do Bandolim” in partnership with guitarist Alessandro Penezzi, a reinterpretation of thirteen songs composed by Jacob do Bandolim, he also acted as an arranger with the São Paulo State Symphonic Orchestra (OSESP) and Banda Mantiqueira.
MOVIE THEATER
For cinema, Laércio wrote arrangements for the soundtracks for “Viúva Virgínia” (1972), by filmmaker Pedro Carlos Rovai, and Sex and Violence in Búzios (1977), by Luiz Antonio Piá.
In 1999, he received the Kikito de Ouro at the Gramado International Film Festival for the soundtrack of the feature film “Amassa que elas”, by director Fernando Coster. He acted in the film “Chibata” (2015), by filmmaker Marcos Manhães Marins. In the 2000s, he also worked as an actor in soap operas such as “Mulheres Apaixonadas” and “Viver a Vida” on Rede Globo.
In 2010, he participated in the project “Audio no Visual – A brief history of sound in cinema” performing the soundtrack for the silent film “Braza Adormecida”.
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About MCB
The Museu da Casa Brasileira, an institution of the Secretariat of Culture and Creative Economy of the State of São Paulo, is dedicated to the preservation and dissemination of the material culture of the Brazilian house, being the only museum in the country specializing in architecture and design. The MCB’s program includes temporary and long-term exhibitions, with an agenda that also includes educational service activities, debates, lectures and publications contextualizing the museum’s vocation for the formation of critical thinking on themes such as architecture, urbanism, housing, economy creative, urban mobility and sustainability. Among its numerous initiatives, the MCB Design Award, the main award in the segment in the country, held since 1986, stand out; and the Casas do Brasil project, to rescue and preserve the memory of the rich diversity of living in the country.
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