Estelinha Epstein

Estelinha Epstein (Estelinha Sima Epstein) was born in Campinas (SP) on February 25, 1914. From a very young age, she accompanied her parents to operas and concerts. Estelinha went to see a performance by Clara Vals's Operetta Company and returned home enchanted by everything she saw. The next day, she went to her neighbor's house and repeated on the piano all the songs she had heard. When her father bought a piano for her mother, Estelinha began to play the lessons her mother struggled to learn on her own. This was not enough for her, and she asked her parents to send her to a piano teacher. Her uncle, the Russian professor Joseph Kliass, had arrived from Europe, settling in São Paulo after World War I, and five days after his arrival in Brazil, Estelinha became his student, his first. After some time, she invited her cousins ​​Yara Bernette and Ana Stella Schic, and other friends to become students of the professor, thus beginning the great Joseph Kliass piano school in Brazil. She gave her first public performance on May 12, 1922, at the Clube Semanal de Cultura Artística in Campinas, at the age of 8, where she celebrated her 50th year as a concert pianist in 1972.

President Washington Luís heard her play and told her that when she turned 13, he would send her to Europe to further her studies. The following year, at the age of 9, she was the soloist in Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 23 at the Theatro Municipal de São Paulo (TMSP). In 1923, she gave recitals in Campinas and, in 1925, performed at the National Institute of Music in Rio de Janeiro to a packed audience, performing works by Bach, Mozart, Hummel, Chopin, Granados, Villa-Lobos, Mussorgsky, Lyadov, and Martucci.

Professor Joseph Kliass, who organized the program for her recital, accompanied her. She was praised by critics for her virtuosity, fidelity of memory, perfect use of the pedals, and artistic temperament of a level above the average performer. In 1926, she was the soloist in Mozart's Concerto No. 23, with an orchestra conducted by Francisco Braga at the Municipal Theater of Rio de Janeiro (TMRJ). In 1927 (check), she was the soloist in Mendelssohn's Concerto No.

1 at the TMRJ, also conducted by Francisco Braga. That same year, at the age of thirteen, she received an artistic scholarship from the São Paulo State Government to further her studies in Europe, and embarked on the German transatlantic liner Cap Polonio with her family, bound for Germany, passing through Paris. In Germany, she received a piano from President Washington Luís, a Bechstein No. B130621. In Berlin, she had an interview with Arthur Schnabel, who took her on as his pupil. Her debut in Berlin came about at the suggestion of Master Schnabel.

There was to be a concert at the Bechstein Hall, and the violinist scheduled to perform had broken his finger. Estelinha replaced him, and from this debut onwards, she gave many concerts in Germany, France (Sala Pleyel), and Italy, receiving excellent reviews. She would have stayed longer in Italy; however, the impresario who wanted to hire her demanded that she wear long-sleeved clothing with a swastika emblem on her arm during her performances. Estelinha decided to return to Brazil, and was almost prevented from boarding the plane were it not for the intervention of a Brazilian authority in Germany. Upon returning to Brazil in 1933, he resumed his artistic activities. In 1933, he performed at the TMRJ and TMSP with works by Bach, Beethoven, Liszt (Sonata), and Chopin. She also performed in Campinas and Piracicaba, hosted a program for listeners of Rádio Cruzeiro do Sul at the PRB-6 studios, and prepared a tour of northern Brazil.

Throughout her career, she played in almost every state in Brazil. Upon returning from one of her trips, she said she was enchanted, referring to the North as "My true country – so far from the metropolis, the hospitality and character of the people preserve the purest form of Brazilianness." On her tours, she played in cities in Maranhão, Piauí, Ceará, Pernambuco, Bahia, Espírito Santo, and Minas Gerais, and in these states she gave many benefit concerts, on her own initiative, to help orphanages, children's hospitals, nursing homes, and local organizations.

She also toured the southern states. In 1935, she was invited to play in the Noble Hall of the National Institute of Music, at the celebration in honor of Pope Pius XI.

In the same year, she gave a recital in the Hall of the Brazilian Academy of Music. She performed Beethoven's Violin Sonata Op. 24 and Mendelssohn's Piano Concerto No. 1 Op. 25, with violinist Francisco Chiaffitelli, conducted by Chiaffitelli. The performance was very well received, and she was obliged to return for a supplementary performance. In 1937, she performed on Radio Tupi alongside renowned pianists such as Antonietta Rudge. Critics referred to her as "The poetess of the keyboard" and "Velvet hands." In 1938, she made another tour of the North and Northeast of Brazil, performing in Amazonas, Pará, Piauí, Maranhão, Ceará, Pernambuco, and Bahia.

Also that year, she gave concerts in Curitiba (PR), in the halls of the Clube Curitibano, and donated all proceeds to charitable institutions in the city.

In 1939, on a tour organized by the government, she traveled to several Brazilian cities. In Minas Gerais, she performed in Belo Horizonte, São João Del Rei, Ouro Preto, Ponte Nova, Leopoldina, and Juiz de Fora, accompanied by her mother, Annita Epstein.

In 1940, she gave a concert in São Luís (MA), among others, to benefit the lepers of Bonfim, and was praised for her kindness and love for others.

She also performed at the Teatro da Paz in Belém (PA). In 1942, she was one of the finalists in the Columbia Concerts Award for Young Brazilian Pianists piano competition at the UFRJ School of Music, which was won by Arnaldo Estrella.

In 1944, he performed at the TMRJ (Teatro Municipal do Rio de Janeiro), his recital including works by Bach-Siloti, Respighi, Mozart, Galuppi, Scriabin, Bortkiewicz, Mignone, Chopin, Liszt, Lyapunov, and, under the direction of conductor Eleazar de Carvalho, he played Rachmaninoff's Concerto No.

2 with the TMRJ Symphony Orchestra. In 1945, he gave recitals in Pernambuco, Ceará, and Bahia, on a tour that lasted three months.

He appeared several times on the radio program "Ondas Musicais" (Musical Waves). He also played in Rio de Janeiro and Petrópolis. In 1947, he made another tour of Europe and played in the Netherlands, The Hague, and France.

He gave three recitals at the Salle Gaveau in Paris. The critic from Le Spectateur wrote: "The first recital in Paris by this Brazilian pianist won over the public with the artist's great artistic ease. Estelinha develops an astonishing mechanism of speed, but always with perfect musical sense. Her instrumental confidence is complete (...)". She also played a chamber music recital accompanying the singer Madalena Nicoll, in a recital at the Casa da América Latina in Paris, attended by a large number of members of the Brazilian community. In 1950, Estelinha made another trip to Europe, sponsored by the Daniel Musical Society. She performed at the Salle Gaveau (Paris), the Salle Bach (Amsterdam), among others.

In the Netherlands, she also played in The Hague and on the Hilversum radio station. There, she met the great pianist Edwin Fischer, who spent a considerable amount of time listening to Estelinha study a page of Mozart without her noticing his presence. She stated that receiving praise from Edwin Fischer was one of the greatest emotions she had ever experienced. Throughout her career, she also played for other great pianists such as Brailowsky, Borowsky, Moiseiwitsch, Antonietta Rudge, and Guiomar Novaes, receiving much praise from these important artists. In Brazil, she played under the direction of conductors Francisco Braga, Eleazar de Carvalho, Souza Lima, Armando Belardi, Eduardo Guarnieri, Francisco Chiaffitelli, Bernardo Federovski, and Jorge Salim Filho. In 1958, she released her first record on RGE XRLP-100.003, featuring works by Francisco Mignone, Villa-Lobos, Chopin, Mozart, Soler, Scarlatti-Tausig, and Galuppi.

In 1960, she presented a recital in São Paulo entirely dedicated to Chopin, and under the direction of maestro Souza Lima, she performed the Piano Concerto No.

2 with the Municipal Symphony Orchestra. In 1962, she was invited to participate in the Piano Festival in Paraná, along with pianists Dina Gombarg, Eudóxia de Barros, Gilberto Tinetti, and Fernando Lopes.

Also that year, she went on an artistic tour to Buenos Aires, playing in several Argentinian cities and touring Uruguay, also performing as a soloist in Chopin's Concerto No.

2 and Mozart's Concerto No.

26 ("Coronation").

During this time, she gave a series of performances on the Municipal Radio of the Argentine capital.

In 1965, the Copacabana record label re-released the album originally published by RGE in 1958.

The radio program Ondas Musicais celebrated its 25th anniversary and organized a series of concerts at the Sala Cecília Meireles, featuring only Brazilian music.

In 1966, he performed Mendelssohn's Concerto No.

1 with the Filarmônica Paulista under the direction of conductor Bernardo Federowski at PUC-SP (Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo), and participated in a series of concerts in 53 cities, organized by the São Paulo State Government.

He performed, for example, in São Carlos, Jaú, Bauru, Marília, and Tupã.

He also toured Vitória (ES) and performed on Rádio Eldorado.

In 1967, he performed in the Concertos Matinais series at TMSP (Teatro Municipal de São Paulo).

His program was broadcast on TV.

The following year, he played at the TMRJ (Teatro Municipal do Rio de Janeiro) and performed at the Auditório Itália, with a recital dedicated to 18th-century harpsichordists.

In 1969, he made a series of video recordings for TV Cultura.

Encouraged by Professor Rossini Tavares de Lima, he recorded Villa-Lobos's 12 Cirandinhas in 1968.

The recording was released the following year on LP by Chantecler (CMG-1045), probably the first worldwide recording of the complete cycle.

His discography is small, consisting of only 2 LPs.

In 1970, he gave a concert at the Teatro Paulo Eiró, promoted by the Departamento de Cultura Pró-Arte, and accompanied the opera singer and American consul, Florence Fisher, on the piano in a recital at the auditorium of the Colégio São José in Santos (SP), with Brazilian folk songs harmonized by Luciano Gallet, Hekel Tavares, Ernani Braga, Jayme Ovalle, and Waldemar Henrique.

In the same year, he received a tribute from the São Paulo City Council.

In 1970, in the Concerts for Youth series, held on Sunday mornings in the TV auditorium, he played works by Scarlatti, Galuppi, Mozart, and Vivaldi.

This year, she also performed Mendelssohn's Piano Concerto No.

1 under the direction of conductor Jorge Salim Filho, and Mozart's Piano Concerto No.

26 under the direction of conductor Armando Belardi, both at the TMSP (Teatro Municipal de São Paulo).

In 1971, she participated in the ABRARTE artistic season.

The concerts were held at the TMRJ (Teatro Municipal do Rio de Janeiro) and the Cecília Meireles Hall.

Other pianists who participated in this event were Nelson Freire, Nikita Magaloff, Estelinha Epstein, Claudio Arrau, Souza Lima, and Ana Lucia Altino.

In 1972, she taught an advanced piano course, teaching modern technique and high interpretation in São Paulo.

She also participated in a Brazilian series dedicated to Villa-Lobos for TV Cultura, and presented a recital at the Auditório Itália with works by Scarlatti, Albéniz, Lully, Galuppi, Mozart, Vivaldi, Bach-Stradal, Schumann, Theodoro Nogueira, Camargo Guarnieri, and Villa-Lobos.

She was praised by critics for choosing pieces of diverse styles and for her stylistic flexibility.

In the same year, in celebration of her 50-year career (golden artistic jubilee), she played at the same venue where she first performed publicly in 1922, at the Clube Semanal de Cultura Artística in Campinas, and was greatly honored by her friends and admirers.

She received commemorative plaques from the mayor of Campinas and the Villa-Lobos Musical Conservatory of Araraquara.

In 1973, he gave a benefit recital at MASP (São Paulo Museum of Art) and participated in a series of programs for TV Cultura in São Paulo, notably his interpretations of Villa-Lobos.

That same year, he concluded the series "Great Chamber Music," performing works by Pescetti, Soler, Seixas, Purcell, Handel, Schumann, Granados, Villa-Lobos, and Dohnanyi at the Auditório Itália.

The following year, he gave a televised recital entirely dedicated to Villa-Lobos, featuring 22 works, including the complete cycle of the 12 Cirandinhas.

In 1976, he performed a recital at MASP, presenting works by Scarlatti, Lully, Albéniz, Soler, Respighi, Bach-Stradal, Chopin, Granados, Villa-Lobos, and Dohnanyi, receiving excellent reviews, and also played in Campinas.

In 1977, she played three Mozart Sonatas in a recital at MASP (São Paulo Museum of Art).

At that time, she taught at her home, maintaining a circle of students who considered her a patient, friendly, caring, and perfectionist teacher, instructing with tranquility and confidence.

In 1979, she gave a concert in Hall I of the Municipal Theater of Piracicaba, which was probably the last recital of her life.

Estelinha Epstein passed away on July 8, 1980, in Águas de São Pedro (SP), where she had a studio.

Some of the awards she received during her lifetime were: Euclides da Cunha Medal, José Vieira Couto de Magalhães Medal, Dom João VI Medal, and Anchieta Medal (1970).

Music dedicated to Estelinha Epstein: Theodoro Nogueira - Valsa-choro No.

9; Clarisse Leite – Valsa etérea.

Concert repertoire: In gatherings with friends, it is said that Estelinha included some of her own compositions in her performances.

One of them was called "cinematic-style waltz," and was sometimes played as an encore in his concerts.

Albéniz-Godowsky - Tango in D major; Alexandre Levy - Prelude from the Brazilian Suite; Brazilian Tango (version by Souza Lima); Anonymous from the 16th century - Siciliana (transcription by Ottorino Respighi); Bach-Busoni - Toccata; Bach-Siloti - Prelude in G minor; Beethoven - Sonata No.

21 "Waldstein"; 32 Variations in C minor; Rondo a capriccio; Sonata Op.

24 for piano and violin; Bortkiewicz - Study Op.

15; Camargo Guarnieri – Ponteios No.

24, No.

30; Sertaneja Song; Chopin - Andante spianato and Grande polonaise brillante; Waltz; Nocturne (Posthumous Op.) in C-sharp minor; Nocturne in E-flat major; Prelude No.

9; Study Op.

25; Mazurka; Berceuse; The 4 Improvisations; Scherzo; 3 Scots; Sonata No.

2; Concerto No.

2 for piano and orchestra; Chopin-Liszt - My Joys; Cimarosa - Two Sonatas; Dandrieu - Concert des oiseaux (Le ramage; Les amours; L'hymen); De Falla - Danza del molinero; La vida breve; Debussy – La plus que lente; La fille aux cheveux de lin Dohnányi - Capriccio (Concert Study) Fauré – Nocturne; Improvisation Galuppi - Sonata in C major Glück-Sgambati - Melodie Gottschalk - Grand Triumphal Fantasy on the Brazilian National Anthem Granados - Danza española; La maja y el ruiseñor Handel - Chaconne Isaac Albéniz – Sevilla; El puerto J.

S.

Bach - Italian Concerto; Fantasy in A minor; Prelude and Fugue in B-flat major Lecuona - Malagueña Liszt - Petrarch's Sonnet; Sonata in B minor; La leggierezza; Dance of the Gnomes; Au bord d'une source; Hungarian Rhapsodies No.

11 and No.

15; Lully - Three Pieces for Harpsichord: I.

Air tendre; Courante; Gigue Lyadov - Music Box Lyapunov - Lezghinka (No.

10 of the 12 Transcendental Etudes) Martucci - Concert Study Mateo Albéniz - Sonata in D major; Mendelssohn – Scherzo; Piano Concerto No.

1 Mignone - 1st Corner Waltz; Humorous Serenade Mussorgsky - Pictures at an Exhibition; Hopak Paganini-Liszt – Study No.

5 “La chasse” Pescetti - Sonatas Prokofiev - Prelude Purcell - Suite in C major Rachmaninov – Piano Concerto No.

2; Preludes Ravel – Pavane; Piece in the form of a habanera Rimsky-Korsakov – The Flight of the Bumblebee Rosenthal - Papillons Scarlatti - Two sonatas Scarlatti-Tausig - Pastorale and Capriccio Schubert – Improvisation; Schubert-Liszt - Serenade; Hark-hark the lark Schumann - Scenes from childhood; Carnival of Vienna; Arabesque; Papillons Scriabin – Poem; Prelude; Study Seixas - Sonatas Soler - Sonata in D major and Sonata in D-flat major Theodoro Nogueira – Waltz-Choro No.

9 (dedicated to Estelinha Epstein) Verdi-Liszt - Paraphrase on Rigoletto Villa-Lobos - The Three Marias; Ciranda No.

6 “Passa, passa gavião”; The little wooden horse (from The Baby's Offspring No.

2); Choros No.

5 “Brazilian Soul”; Serenade Impressions; Dance of the White Indian; The Legend of the Caboclo; The Pierrot's Horseman (from The Children's Carnival); Bachianas Brasileiras No.

4 (Prelude and Aria); the 12 Cirandinhas; The Punchinello (from The Baby's Offspring No.

1); Vivaldi's Waltz of Sorrow - Organ Concerto in D minor W.

A. ​​Mozart – Sonatas No.

7, No.

8 and No.

10; 9 Variations on a Minuet by Duport; Minuet with Variations; Piano Concerto No.

23 in A major; Piano Concerto No.

26 in D major (“Coronation”) W.

F.

Bach - Stradal - Concerto in D minor Weber - Euryanthe