IL GUARANY by Antônio Carlos Gomes is considered the first Brazilian opera and was written between 1868 and 1870. It is very important for Brazil’s musical history - even though it was first performed at Milan’s Scala. After the premiere of IL GUARANY, Giuseppe Verdi said that Gomes was starting where he himself had left off. The Guaraní are a South American ethnic group and belong to the continent’s indigenous peoples. The story is based on a novel by the writer José de Alencar. The opera is about the seemingly impossible love between Cecilia, the daughter of a Portuguese nobleman, and the Guaraní Pery. But two adventurers have also fallen in love with the pretty girl: the Portuguese Don Alvaro and the Spaniard Gonzales. The adventurers plot against Cecilia’s father, but Pery finds out and wants to protect his beloved and her family. Only after a lot of trouble and fierce battles, the villains finally receive their deserved punishment and the lovers Cecilia and Pery find happiness.
With this edition, Stefan Schwalgin has now created a sonorous transcription for symphonic wind orchestra.