Freire took the stages of nearly 70 countries. Time magazine called him “one of the greatest pianists of this or any generation.
The Brazilian pianist Nelson freire, one of the great names in world classical music, died this Monday at his residence in Rio de Janeiro at the age of 77, confirmed his businesswoman.
Freire, whose cause of death was not disclosed, began playing the piano when he was only 3 years old and established himself as one of the greatest artists in Brazil, which led him to reap a renowned career and climb on the main world stages .
After undergoing shoulder surgery in 2019, due to a fall during a walk in Rio de Janeiro, his return to the theaters was scheduled for last year, but the pianist was forced to postpone plans due to the COVID pandemic. -19.
Born in 1944 in the city of Boa Esperança, in the state of Minas Gerais, Freire was a child prodigy. At the age of 12 he moved to Rio de Janeiro, where he took classes from the renowned pianists Nise Obino and Lúcia Branco.
It didn’t take long for him to rise as one of the winners of the Rio de Janeiro International Piano Competition and, from then on, he went on to perform in concerts all over the world.
Throughout his career, Freire took to the stages of about 70 countries and, after a performance in the United States when he was soo 24 years old, the magazine Time He described him as “one of the greatest pianists of this or any other generation.”
Among the awards he received in various parts of the globe, the 2007 Classic FM Gramophone Awards, considered the Oscar of classical music, and, more recently, the 2019 International Classical Music Awards (Icma), when he was distinguished for his entire career stand out.
It was also outlined in a documentary by the filmmaker Joao Moreira Salles in 2003 and featured in a collection of various record companies on the 74 best pianists of the 20th century.
The news of his death shocked the art world in Brazil and various artists, music critics and personalities expressed feelings for his early death.
The teacher and pianist Joao Carlos Martins, another of the great Brazilian names in music, lamented the loss of his “friend” in statements to the radio CBN and said that Freire will be “preserved for eternity by his recordings.”
“Nelson was requested by all the great European orchestras, also in the United States and Asia. He was a person who, above all, before being a great pianist, was a good person ”, he assured. (I)
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