Arthur Moreira Lima

Acclaimed around the world as one of the best interpreters of Frédéric Chopin, Brazil's Arthur Moreira Lima also had success in the field of popular music. In 1965, he won second place at the Frédéric Chopin International Contest (Warsaw, Poland). He continued his studies in Moscow, U.S.S.R., until 1970, when he moved to Vienna, Austria, and started his acknowledged career as an international concerto player. His activities in popular music included a celebrated mid-'70s English recording of Ernesto Nazareth's works (Nazareth being himself deeply influenced by Chopin); the no-less-important association with Elomar, Heraldo do Monte, and Paulo Moura in the ConSertão series; and performances and recordings with Rafael Rabelo, Época de Ouro, Nelson Gonçalves, and Ney Matogrosso. In 1997, Moreira Lima achieved a long-held dream when he recorded a disc of Piazzolla transcriptions; it was released in 1999 to broad international praise.