Antônio Carlos Gomes | Composers

Antônio Carlos Gomes is considered to be the most important romantic composer in Brazil. His talent showed very early, in 1860 he studied at the Conservatory of Rio de Janeiro. At the instigation of Emperor Pedro II, he studied at the Milan Conservatory from 1864. In the following years he lived as a composer in Italy, where many of his operas were performed in the major opera houses. The opera Il Guarany, composed between 1868 and 1870, is considered a milestone in Brazilian music history. It premiered at La Scala in Milan and was then performed across Europe. After the premiere, Giuseppe Verdi said that Gomes started where he left off (“Questo giovane comincia dove finisco io!” - This young man starts where I finish! ).