Hidden Hermeto Flute Gems Revealed On New Tribute Release

Aline Gonçalves, Andrea Ernest Dias, Carlos Malta, Eduardo Neves – Obra Viva de Hermeto Pascoal – Vol. 1 Flautas (Rocinante, 2025)

Obra Viva de Hermeto Pascoal – Vol. 1: Flautas is the first release of a new archival series devoted to previously unrecorded or rarely heard works by Brazilian composer and multi-instrumentalist Hermeto Pascoal. The album contains music based on manuscripts written between 1982 and 1985 and focuses on the flute, an instrument closely tied to Pascoal’s early career.

The recording highlights the chamber side of his catalog, with splendid duos, quartets, and expanded flute ensembles that occasionally include piano and trombone. The repertoire contains a balanced mix of contemporary western classical influences, Brazilian popular music, and avant-garde approaches. As a consequence, the set reveals skillfully designed melodic compositions alongside complex rhythms and inventive freer passages. Interestingly, several pieces remain untitled in the manuscripts, reflecting Pascoal’s preference for flexible interpretation.

Guitarist and musical director Bernardo Ramos leads an ensemble that features highly skilled flutists Aline Gonçalves, Andrea Ernest Dias, Carlos Malta, Eduardo Neves, and Marcelo Martins, alongside pianist Marcelo Galter and trombonist Rafael Rocha. Malta’s participation connects the project directly to the era in which many of these works were written, as he performed with Pascoal during the same period.

The musicians work from scores that often contain minimal expressive markings, relying on shared experience with Pascoal’s language and on close ensemble interaction.