Corriere della Sera (3 July 1964) noted that many Italians were going to be present at the Second International Festival of Music in the Cidade Maravilhosa.  'The Milanese set designer Attilio Colonnello traveled to Rio de Janeiro specifically to oversee the creation of the sets and costumes for [the opera] Guarany, which will be performed on the occasion of the Brazilian National Day, directed by Carlo Maestrini.'  Michelangeli will play five concerts, two of them will be with conductor Bruno Bartoletti (who in 1964 had been named co-artistic director of Lyric Opera Chicago). But does the newspaper mean Molinari-Pradelli?

​

Brazil was under the control of a military dictatorship, which had been established following the 1964 Brazilian coup d'état on March 31st. This coup overthrew the democratically elected President João Goulart, ushering in a period of authoritarian rule that would last for 21 years (1985).  Following the coup, a military junta initially took control, eventually leading to the appointment of General Humberto de Alencar Castelo Branco as president. 

 

'The great pianist arrived unexpectedly at Galeão (RJ airport) for his first programme.'  He brings his tuner Gaetano Paez.  'This is the pianist's first visit to Rio de Ianeiro.'

​​​​​​​​Diario de Noticias 5.8.64:/ Jornal do Brasil 16 August 1964
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Tuesday, 18 August 1964, at 9pm, Teatro Municipal, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil:

Bach-Busoni, Chaconne;  Beethoven Op.2/3 in C major; Debussy Images I & II

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Monday, 24 August 1964, at 9pm, Teatro Municipal, Rio de Janeiro

SCARLATTI 5 Exercícios para cravo (harpsichord)
BEETHOVEN Sonata No. 32 Opus 111 em dó menor
Intervalo
II
CHOPIN 2 Mazurkas
Fantasia opus 49
Berceuse
Scherzo n.° 2 em si bemol menor

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Renzo Massarani Jornal do Brasil (21 August 1964)

'The launch of Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli was prepared using extra-musical publicity elements, dedicated to the most spiritually indigent segments of the public: Benedetti is one of the five great pianists of our time (why exactly five? And which are the other four?); he travels not only with his grand piano (there are others too: Rubinstein, for example) but even with his tuner, whose name and surname were made known repeatedly, without, however, telling the best part of the public—the majority—which works and authors were on the programmes. The people's fantasy completed the picture, with jokes of all kinds. The last of these explained the postponement of the first recital by the fact that, for Benedetti, the instrument was tired and needed a rest. What it needed was serious repairs by the tuner, as in Rio the piano had been left in an upright position in the rain for seven days or seven nights.

​

'In Italy itself, alas, there were those who created the tent of an artificial and eccentric Benedetti Michelangeli. And there were critics ([Beniamino] Dal Fabbro (1910-1989), for example) who saw only externalities in the triumphant planist: "Woe to the artist, as Debussy said, who allows himself to be determined by an environment and does not create it, who becomes the idol of an audience, enjoying their low notions of art and mediocre, obscene hedonism. This happened with Benedetti Michelangeli."

 

'Naturally, there are millions, both among the public and among critics, who view the pianist quite differently, with the respect and admiration he deserves; which explains why, for each of his concerts, tickets must be purchased months in advance. And several mutual friends—Benedetti and mine—spoke to me not only of this pianist's superb artistic qualities, but also of his qualities as a simple and good man. They also told me of the master's generosity, who supports at his own expense the famous school of advanced training he created and directed in the Alps, in the city of Bolzano.

 

'The programme of his first recital in Rio was enough to dispel legends. No Chopin or Liszt, no FFFF [i.e. very LOUD] in the finale, but three contrasting parts, rigorously musical. Without easy concessions or showmanship, the gigantic and harsh Bach-Busoni Chaconne, the Sonata Op. 2 No. 3 that Beethoven dedicated to Haydn, and which is so rarely remembered by pianists for its pathetic and passionate, sure-fire devastating effects. And the six Images, from Claude Debussy's two series, occupying the entire second part.

 

'In the pianist approaching his piano on Tuesday, it was easier to see a worried, even timid, musician than a Paganini or a Liszt wanting something, to win over the audience with low, melodramatic strokes. During the recital, this certainty was immediately confirmed in the reconstruction of the sound blocks of the Chaconne; it was confirmed in the crystal-clear presentation of the opening Allegro, in the supreme serenity of the adagio, in the joy of the scherzo, in the popular games of the finale of the Beethoven Sonata. He achieved a moving beauty in Debussy: an admirable luminosity of pure sounds and infinite musicality.  What more is worth losing myself in detailed analysis, except to say that Benedetti Michelangeli captivated me, moved me, and excited me to the max? And that, above all, he is a great musician.

​

'His recital was completed by extrusion. Apparently, if the Organization doesn't change its announcement, Benedetti will continue with two recitals, tomorrow and Monday at 9 p.m., and with a concert on Wednesday at 4 p.m. (10 p.m.). He will perform a Beethoven concerto with the Municipal Orchestra, probably under the baton of Maestro Molinari-Pradelli.

 

[Francesco Molinari Pradelli had conducted Boito's Mefistofele with Cesare Siepi, Flaviano Labò and Magda in the Teatro Municipal on 3 July]

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Jornal do Brasil (27.8.64) also reviewed the second recital on Tuesday: 'A new triumph of an unparalleled art. All works seem to find in the great pianist a beauty, unlike any other, different, but utterly persuasive, revelatory definitive. If Michelangeli had been Brailowsky, the theatre would've been packed. [Alexander Brailowsky (1896 – 1976), a Russian/French pianist]

In return, those present received something extraordinary, something that music among us, so stingily bestows, for which we are deeply grateful to the festival organisers.'  

(Renzo Massarani)

​

The Italian pianist Auturo Benedetti Michelangeli, whom Rio has longed to meet for years, performed at the Teatro Municipal. Now, after his performance was scheduled and rescheduled, he could be heard. He is truly a master of his subject. Everything about him is measured, controlled, thoughtful, and refined, without ever betraying the composer's intentions. He takes them with all the collaboration that an illicit technique allows, giving the impression that difficulties disappear, becoming effortless, as simple and carefree as they are overcome. leaning on the keyboard, they c ome to the surface without any artificiality, whether vibrating in the vigorous notes he imposes on Busoni's "Chaconne," when he makes the piano a replica of the piano, or in the tenuous, fresh, and ragged sonorities of Debussy's "Images," pages with which he opened and closed the program.

In between, we also heard Beethoven's "Sonata Op. 2," where the finish was noticeable. The work was sure and without superficiality, revealing the profound musical nature of the performer, undoubtedly intellectual by virtue of his working conditions. At the same time, a poet in the broad sense.

​

In the various encores he was forced to perform, he demonstrated passages of elegiac simplicity - a captivating quality, soothing to the spirit for those agitated by the present life. The audience made a grand and sincere show of appreciation of this illustrious artist, despite his seriousness and his unadjusted appearance, but captivated by his utter admiration. 

[Portuguese translation to be improved]
D’Or (Diario de Noticias. 20 August)​

​

For the Diario Carioca, 20 August 1964, Antônio Bento wrote of the recital on the 18th: 

There is no exaggeration in the praise given by European critics to Arturo Michelangeli, who is certainly one of the greatest pianists of our time. This is what his debut concert, given the day before yesterday at the Teatro Municipal, showed us.

It was also worth it, or rather, the expense incurred by the theater in transporting the concert pianist's piano by air. A good instrument is necessary for the virtuoso's normal performance, as he absolutely insists on good sound. In fact, the quality of Arturo Michelangelo's playing is exceptional. It is even known that the pianist only travels with his own personal tuner [Gaetano Paez] in tow to ensure the perfect normality of his performances. Indeed, this provision is well recommended, for example, on his South American tour, where good concert pianos are rare, almost always in need of repairs and tuning.

With his private instrument in perfect condition, Arturo Michelangeli shone in his season-opening performance, giving a masterful interpretation of Bach's "Chaconne," as transcribed by Busoni. He then gave us an admirable, flawless performance of Beethoven's Sonata Op. 2, No. 3. This is a youthful work of secondary importance among the monumental sonatas by the master of "Appassionata." However, the sonority achieved by the concert pianist was of such high quality that the piece became equally remarkable in his hands. This is a secret of great virtuosos.

In the final part of the concert, Michelangeli played Debussy's "Images" (Series I and II). It was an exquisite performance, with its expressive, measured refinement, down to the smallest details. I believe it's impossible to find a more brilliant interpreter of the great French composer today. The concertmaster was flawless in both the opening numbers, especially "Cloches à travers les feuilles", and in "Hommage à Rameau," "Reflets dans l'eau", and "Poisson d'or. The same was true of the first number, given extra-programme, Monpou's "Song and Dance," with a perfect finish

​

On 27th August, Mr Bento observed: 'It's a shame that Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli didn't perform all the concerts he was contracted for at the Municipal Theater. Several circumstances conspired to cancel some recitals: an Italian aviation strike and even the fact that the theater wasn't made available to the pianist four hours before the public hearing, as stipulated in the contract. This resulted in the inexplicable cancellation of the concert scheduled for last Saturday, with the unpleasant occurrence of people complaining at the door of the closed theater.

An interpreter of remarkable artistic awareness, Michelangeli rehearses for long hours before a recital, even ensuring that his instrument is perfectly tuned, as was seen in his last recital, when the first attendees to arrive at the theater found the pianist patiently performing the final rehearsals. This was, I believe, a unique case in the life of the Municipal, whose audience became acquainted with an absolutely exceptional pianist, a genius who has a religion of perfect performances of all the pieces he performs.

I don't recall having heard, in this respect, another equal planner, other than perhaps the formidable Joseph Hoffmann, another virtuoso "hors-ligne" who did a single season at the Municipal Theater in 1936.

​

'Regarding his last recital, it seems unnecessary to mention the exemplary performance of the five Scarlatti sonatas that opened the program. They were dazzlingly clear. Since his version of Beethven's Sonata No. 111 was beyond comparison in terms of sound, who could give a better interpretation of this extraordinary work?

In the second part of the program, I was enchanted by his performances of the two mazurkas and especially Chopin's "Berceuse".

​

On 15 September he concluded: This 2nd Guanabara Festival naturally had its ups and downs. The best surprise, musically, was the debut of pianist Michelangeli, who is truly an exceptional artist. He was hired to give seven recitals and only gave two, which is regrettable. I'm left grumbling, very dissatisfied with the 'Teatro Municipal.'

​

In Correio da Mañha (20.8.64), Eurico Nogueira França stated:

​

Benedetti Michelangeli, genius

Someone once said that every genius wears a mask, in the sense that he does not present himself to ordinary mortals as he truly is. He said this long before the expression "wearing a mask" acquired the delightful meaning with which it is used in Brazilian parlance. Without excluding the first meaning, it should be noted that Arturo Benedetti Michelangelo—forgive the borrowing from the language of the people, irreplaceable in characterizing an aspect of this great artist's personality—wears a mask of this size.

The somewhat loose definition of genius as the infinite capacity to perform a complex task with absolute perfection can be applied to Benedetti Michelangeli. In his debut the day before yesterday at the Municipal Theatre, he presented a short program containing, in the first part, well-known works such as Bach-Busoni's Chaconne and Beethoven's Sonata Op. 2, No. 3, a program that only in the second part, with Debussy's Images, departed from the well-trodden flat repertoire. Benedetti Michelangeli has shown us how he has "cleaned up" all these pages, both the lesser-known and the lesser-known. It is clear, of course, that alongside the concert pianist's versions of each of the three works, certain others, diverse and marked, like his, by the sign of superior interpretative mastery. But theirs count, as something unique and definitive. And I would even shy away from saying that he recreates this music, suggesting instead that he discovers the music within himself, when he studies it, when he prepares it, focusing it with the most precise inner vision, which superb technicians make externalize, in the smallest details, and in the organicity of the ensemble.

 The virtuosic production, and that of the sound material, which never needs, or seems to need, to reach the resounding fortissimos, is strictly subordinated to interpretative thought. Everything takes place on a plane of the most apparent naturalness. And thus, without any ostentatious or hypertrophic personality, with the tranquil magic of his hands on the piano, Benedetti Michelangelo appears to us as an ideal interpreter.

But what a mask! It's not he who is to blame, but rather our usual disorganization, for the successive postponements of the premiere. That didn't stop the Municipal from being packed the day before yesterday with a vibrantly expectant audience. The eminent pianist, who reportedly receives a $3,500 fee per audition, had to bring his plan with him, as well as a competent tuner. The plan flew by air, costing us five million cruzeiros for round-trip transportation. Behind the precious instrument, on the Municipal stage, it was clear that Benedetti Michelangelo had vetoed the usual velvet curtains, keeping them but placing the screen over it, where those fantastic allegories are displayed, including a venerable bearded figure portraying Dom Pedro II, in curious promiscuity with a group of dancers. The screen was lowered to the height of a man, constituting an inelegant acoustic device. It was barely possible for the great concert pianist to enter and exit without lowering his head. And this head, then, Arthur Benedetti Michelangelo sovereignly resists bowing it, to greet the audience. At the end of each work, at the end of the parts, at the end of the concert, he faces the Theater, absorbing the thunderous applause, as if contemplating himself. a spectacle. Not a single

A simple physiognomical mutation. Not even a hint of a smile. Finally, he bows deeply, rigidly, formally, and leaves without censure. The impression he leaves us with is that, besides Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, he is also the author of Bach-Busoni's Chaconne, Beethoven's Sonata, and Debussy's Images. And yet... Such a mask, in such a sensitive artist, I don't believe will translate, deep down, into contempt for the audience. But that he treats them with the utmost disdainful superiority, in an affectation he doesn't care about, there is no doubt. Just check out the off-program numbers he agreed to offer us, which are simply unqualified in their insignificance and lack of musical substance.

How wonderful, however, are the versions of Beethoven's Chaconne, of the Sonata in C major, of the group dedicated to Haydn, and of the two interspersed series of Debussy's Images! This legitimizes the position adopted by some critics of rejecting Bach's piano transcriptions. Busoni's Chaconne is a model of its kind, and yet it is difficult to admit that the violin masterpiece is transported to the plane, where it is organistically.

 

But it was nonetheless a rare pleasure to hear this hybrid piece in Benedetti Michelangeli's version, whose differentiations of piano timbre, among other numerous and innumerable virtues, are absolutely remarkable. We have never heard a more beautiful version of the Chaconne. In the Beethoven achieved stupendous things, such as stylistic and dynamic solutions, etc. And he subtly decomposed the flat sonority in Debussy. Since the time of Rubinstein, and belonging entirely to another species of interpreter of the piano, Benedetti Michelangeli is the greatest pianist I have ever seen in Brazil. And the most masked.

​

Correio da Mañha (23.8.64),

Michelangeli doesn't play and people protest

There were protests last night outside Rio's Teatro Municipal when the audience was surprised by a sign announcing the postponement of pianist Benedetti Michelangeli's second recital to tomorrow at 9 p.m. While TM explained to reporters that the postponement was due to the artist's sudden illness, some spectators claimed that Michelangeli usually rehearses at least four hours before a performance, on the same piano he will be performing on. Since this wasn't possible yesterday, with the American Ballet Theatre's performance scheduled for 4 p.m. at that theater, the artist refused to give the recital.

​

25.8.64

Mr. Salvador Ruberti, artistic director of the Teatro Municipal, told reporters that the artist had refused to play on Saturday "because his piano, after being tuned, did not have the necessary period of aging for phonic stabilization." He also added that "since Michelangeli is a genius, as he is the greatest pianist in the world today, the Teatro Municipal could not terminate his contract, as he earns money when he plays."

"What we did next was to make ourselves available to the public to refund the amounts paid for tickets. And what we saw was that none of the spectators went to the box office. Informed that the tickets would be valid for a new performance, if there was one, everyone preferred to wait for it.

​

Correio da Mañha (26.8.64), Eurico Nogueira França stated:

He elevated the two contrasting tempos of Beethoven's monumental Sonata opus 111 with volcanic impetus in the first and transcendent static contemplation in the sublime Arietta. The technical and stylistic solutions he brought to the work, particularly in the final movement, astonished the musicians present. It is worth noting that admiration grew even more among connoisseurs and the general public when, after the intermission, a series of Chopin-esque interpretations were heard.