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The Portuguese violinist, Bruno Monteiro, studied in Portugal with Carlos Fontes and received also the guidance of Gerardo Ribeiro, with whom he worked privately in Chicago, with scholarships from the Calouste Gulbenkian and Luso-American Foundations. He received his Bachelor of Music with distinction from the Manhattan School of Music in New York, as a scholar of the Gulbenkian Foundation and Centro Nacional de Cultura, where he studied with Patinka Kopec (associate teacher to Pinchas Zuckerman), Isidore Cohen (former violinist of the Beaux Arts Trio and the Juilliard String Quartet) and members of the American String Quartet. He went on to gain his Master in Music with academic honours from the Chicago College of Performing Arts, as a recipient of Ministério da Cultura – Gabinete das Relações Internacionais and Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia – Minstério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Ensino Superior, where he studied with Shmuel Ashkenasi (former first violinist of the Vermeer Quartet). In Europe and the USA, he attended international master-classes where he worked with artists such as Linda Cerone, Victor Danchenko, members of the Berlin Philharmonie Quartet, Menahem Pressler and Yehudi Menuhin. Awarded nationally and internationally, he received among others, the First Prize on the National Violin Competition for Youth from the Juventude Musical Portuguesa Competition in Lisbon and was a winner with the Special Violin Mention at the Ibla Grand Prize International Music Competition in Italy. He was also awarded the Notable Prize from the Colégio de Lamas.
Heralded by the daily Público as “one of Portugal´s premier violinists” and by the weekly Expresso as "one of today´s most renowned Portuguese musicians", Bruno Monteiro is internationally recognized as a distinguished violinist of his generation. Fanfare Magazine describes him as having a "burnished golden tone" and Strad states that his “generous vibrato produces radiant colors". MusicWeb International refers to interpretations that have a "vitality and an imagination that are looking unequivocally to the future" and that reach an “almost ideal balance between the expressive and the intellectual”. Gramophone praises his “unfailing assurance and eloquence” and Strings Magazine summarises that he is "deserving of a much larger slice of the limelight on the world stage."
With a repertoire that ranges widely from J.S. Bach to John Corigliano, including the main Portuguese composers, Bruno Monteiro concertizes as recitalist, concert soloist and chamber musician in the most important concert halls and music festivals of Portugal (International Music Festivals of Foz do Cávado, Paços de Brandão, Santa Maria da Feira, Óbidos, Guarda, Viseu, Coimbra, Gaia, Évora, Póvoa de Varzim, Dias da Música, Estoril and Sintra, Museu D. Diogo de Sousa, Auditório Fernando Lopes-Graça, Palácio dos Anjos, Casa das Artes de Vila Nova de Famalicão, Biblioteca Joanina, Auditório do Banco de Portugal, Teatro Municipal de Vila Real, Teatro Académico Gil Vicente, Auditório of Conservatório de Musica de Coimbra, Teatro Municipal of Lagos, Teatro Aveirense, Teatro José Lúcio da Silva, Theatro Circo, Teatro Sá da Bandeira, Teatro Municipal Joaquim Benite, Museu da Música Portuguesa, Teatro Constantino Nery, Palácio Nacional de Sintra, Palácio da Bolsa, Europarque, Ateneu Comercial do Porto, Fundação Eng. António de Almeida, Rivoli Teatro Municipal, Grande Auditório da Universidade de Lisboa, São Luiz Teatro Municipal (where he made his debut at the age of 13), Centro Cultural de Belém, Teatro Nacional de São Carlos and Music season of Gulbenkian Foundation). Internationally, he has also been appearing in prestigious venues in countries such as Spain (International Music festivals of Cura and Artà, Palácio de Cibeles), France, Italy, the Netherlands, Germany, Vienna (Musikverein), Denmark, the Philippines, Malaysia, South Korea and the USA (Carnegie Hall).
Bruno Monteiro has played as guest soloist with numerous orchestras, including the Orquestra Filarmonia das Beiras, Orquestra do Norte, the Orquestra Sinfónica de Palma de Mallorca, Orquestra Clássica da Madeira, Orquestra Sinfónica Portuguesa and the English Chamber Orchestra.
A noted recording artist, Bruno Monteiro'´s discography is available on Numérica-Multimédia, Movieplay Classics (Orfeu), Centaur Records, Companhia Nacional de Música (CNM), Naxos and Brilliant Classics..
For Numérica-Multimedia label, Monteiro recorded the albums DEBUT, containing Franck´s Sonata and the 3rd Grieg Sonata ("the attention to detail, the correct phrasing and the care in the expression. Everything is clear, sincere and vehement " - Jornal de Letras), 20th CENTURY EXPRESSIONS, with Szymanowski´s Sonata, Bloch´s Sonata nº1 and Suite Much Ado About Nothing by Korngold ("In the Szymanowski, an undeniable intensity flows in his reading. In the Bloch, a work which is mentally and physically exhausting (for sure), Bruno Monteiro puts out a magnificent interpretation. Finally, the Korngold, much lighter than the preceding works, Monteiro has a technically irreproachable reading and displays a complete sense of character in each piece" - Diário de Notícias), IN RECITAL, with Johannes Brahms' Scherzo, Gabriel Fauré's Sonata No. 1, Ottorino Respighi's Sonata and Zigeunerweisen by Sarasate ("brilliant sound, a musical statement always maintained with vehemence and a sense of the tensions, romantic outbursts in the sections of "cantabile" and a technical domain that permits Monteiro to surpass with nonchalance the difficulties of the virtuoso writin" - Público) and SOLO, with J.S. Bach's Partita No. 2, Prokofieff´s Sonata, the Recitative und Scherzo-Caprice by Fritz Kreisler and Ysaÿe´s Obsession Sonata ("lyricism, rhythmic vigour, technical agility and a strong emotional involvement " - Público).
Movieplay Classics (Orfeu) released Bruno Monteiro's performance of the rarely heard Sonatas by Óscar da Silva and Armando José Fernandes ("Interpretative excellency" – Jornal de Notícias). Centaur Records published his interpretation of the 2 Sonatas of Robert Schumann and Clara Schumann´s 3 Romances ("A winner of a disc” – In Classical.net) and the Concerto for Violin, Piano and String Quartet and the Poème by Chausson ("a highly convincing account, beautifully played, with the gentle and unaffected Sicilienne preciding a slow Grave of quiet dignity." – The Strad). In 2013, Companhia Nacional de Música (CNM) published his interpretation of the Camille Saint-Saëns and R. Strauss Violin Sonatas (“Monteiro´s approach, so full of verve and boldness, tends to sweep listeners off their feet.” – Gramophone). His recent CD's include the Complete Music for Violin and Piano and Solo Violin by Fernando Lopes-Graça (Naxos), that reached top sales in Portugal and received the highest acclaim from newspapers and musical magazines all over the world.
Equally praised worldwide was Bruno Monteiro's debut recording for Brilliant Classics (2015) with the complete music for violin and piano by Karol Szymanowski. BBC Music Magazine wrote that “Portuguese virtuosos Monteiro and Santos, captured in opulent sound, hurl themselves into the virtuoso fray where appropriate, steering the music’s sometimes meandering course with a firm rudder”. Examiner proclaimed that “Monteiro’s playing on this new recording is particularly effective in escalating the mood of Opus 30 (Myths) beyond the plane of mere mortals”. Finally, Musical Opinion declared that this recording is “one of the most significant to have been released in recent years with regard towards a completion of thiwonderful composer's music”. His newest CD with the Complete Music for Violin and Piano by Erwin Schulhoff, released in November 2016 also on Brilliant Classics, received high acclaim by critics, not only in Porugal, but in the UK, France, Spain, USA, Canada and Brazil. In Madrid, it was selected as the Editor´s Choise and as one of the Top 10 CD´s worldwide by Ritmo, the most important classical music magazine in Spain. In the USA, it reached the Favourite Recordings 2016 list on Classical Candor and in São Paulo was selected as the CD of the Week by Radio Cultura and brodcasted throughout the country.
His recordings are available throughout all the major markets in Europe, Far East, the USA and Australia. |
