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Duo Assad

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Duo Assad

Sérgio and Odair Assad form one of the most respected and influential guitar duos in contemporary classical music, known for their innovative interpretations and unique arrangements.

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O Clássico Violão Popular Brasileiro

O Clássico Violão Popular Brasileiro

A commemorative album marking 50 years of Sérgio and Odair Assad's career, this recording pays tribute to key composers in the history of Brazilian guitar. The repertoire spans pioneers to modern masters, including João Pernambuco, Heitor Villa-Lobos, Garoto, Baden Powell, Luiz Bonfá, Egberto Gismonti, and Radamés Gnattali.

Sérgio & Odair Assad & Paquito D'Rivera: Dances from the New World

Sérgio & Odair Assad & Paquito D'Rivera: Dances from the New World

A vibrant collaboration with acclaimed Cuban clarinetist Paquito D'Rivera, blending Latin American rhythms and classical guitar technique to explore the 'New World' of jazz and Latin music.

Viva Brazil – Live EP

Viva Brazil – Live EP

A live EP by renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma, featuring Kathryn Stott (piano), Joseph Gramley (percussion), and the Assad Duo. The recording captures both classical and contemporary Brazilian music, interpreted with virtuosity and sensitivity.

El Caminante – Odair Assad solo

El Caminante – Odair Assad solo

Odair Assad's second solo album, El Caminante, presents a refined contemporary guitar repertoire. It begins with Sonata del Caminante, composed especially for Odair by Leo Brouwer, and includes works by Egberto Gismonti, Roland Dyens, and Kevin Callahan. Recorded with precision and interpretative depth, the album traverses diverse musical languages while highlighting Odair's technical maturity and expressive artistry.

Originis – Sérgio & Odair Assad with Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg

Originis – Sérgio & Odair Assad with Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg

Recorded live in Brazil, Originis marks the world premiere of the title composition by Sérgio Assad, written for violin, two guitars, and orchestra. It is performed by Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, the Assad Duo, and the São Paulo State Symphony Orchestra under conductor John Neschling. Divided into five movements—Tarantella, Canzona, Baião Chorado, Modinha, and Finale—the suite offers a musical journey celebrating the performers' cultural roots, blending European classical elements with Brazilian lyricism and rhythms. The performance showcases Sérgio's fluid orchestral writing and the strong synergy between the soloists.

Jardim Abandonado

Jardim Abandonado

In their seventh album for Nonesuch, Jardim Abandonado, Sérgio and Odair present a selection of pieces from their performance repertoire of the past ten years. The album was nominated for two Latin Grammy Awards, including Best Classical Album, and won in the category of Best Classical Contemporary Composition for Sérgio Assad's Tahhiyya Li Ossoulina. The album pays tribute to Brazilian master Antônio Carlos Jobim, featuring three of his compositions, along with original works by Sérgio Assad, his daughter Clarice Assad, and transcriptions of pieces by Darius Milhaud and Claude Debussy.

Live in Brussels – Sérgio & Odair Assad with Fernando Suárez Paz

Live in Brussels – Sérgio & Odair Assad with Fernando Suárez Paz

Recorded live at the Salle du Conservatoire Royal de Bruxelles, this album captures the Assad Duo's energy alongside Argentine violinist Fernando Suárez Paz, known for his collaboration with Astor Piazzolla's Quinteto Nuevo Tango. Critics hailed the album as one of the finest live guitar performances ever recorded, praising the spontaneity and passion of the execution.

Obrigado Brazil: Live in Concert – Yo-Yo Ma

Obrigado Brazil: Live in Concert – Yo-Yo Ma

Recorded live at the American Academy of Arts and Letters in New York, this album captures the vibrant atmosphere of the Obrigado Brazil tour. Yo-Yo Ma is joined by Sérgio and Odair Assad, Cyro Baptista, Paquito D'Rivera, and other Brazilian musicians in live performances that reflect the energy and spontaneity of the project. The repertoire spans Brazilian classics and contemporary works in arrangements that celebrate cultural and sonic fusion.

Obrigado, Brazil

Obrigado, Brazil

A studio album marking the meeting between Yo-Yo Ma's cello and Brazilian music. Accompanied by the Assad Duo, Rosa Passos, César Camargo Mariano, Romero Lubambo, and others, Yo-Yo Ma immerses himself in Brazil's rhythms and harmonies with refined interpretations of works by Tom Jobim, Heitor Villa-Lobos, Sérgio Assad, Pixinguinha, and more. A Grammy-winning project praised for its sophistication and deep respect for Brazil's musical essence.

Concierto de Volos – Concierto de Aranjuez – Serenade opus 50

Concierto de Volos – Concierto de Aranjuez – Serenade opus 50

A classical album featuring three important works for guitar and orchestra. Odair Assad performs Serenade Op. 50 by Malcolm Arnold, while other guest soloists interpret Concierto de Aranjuez (Joaquín Rodrigo) and Concierto de Volos (Leo Brouwer), conducted by Leo Brouwer himself. A recording that highlights the excellence of the guitar in orchestral settings.

Sérgio and Odair Assad Play Piazzolla

Sérgio and Odair Assad Play Piazzolla

A tribute to the great Argentine composer Astor Piazzolla, adapted for two guitars. Originally influenced by tango and classical music, Piazzolla's compositions take on new dimensions through the precise arrangements and technical brilliance of the Assad brothers, emphasizing the rhythmic and harmonic complexity of nuevo tango. The album won the Latin Grammy Award for Best Tango Album.

Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, Sérgio and Odair Assad

Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, Sérgio and Odair Assad

In this first recorded collaboration, violinist Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg joins Sérgio and Odair to explore the musical traditions of the Romani people and their stylistic offshoots. With a repertoire mostly composed and arranged by Sérgio Assad, the album blends Eastern European, Spanish, Middle Eastern, and gypsy jazz influences—exemplified by the inclusion of Django Reinhardt's Nuages.

Three Double Concertos

Three Double Concertos

This album presents three contemporary concertos for guitar and orchestra, all in world premiere recordings. Greek guitarist Costas Cotsiolis and Cuban violinist Isel Rodriguez Trujillo perform Omaggio a Paganini by Leo Brouwer; Sérgio and Odair Assad premiere the Concerto for Two Guitars by Edino Krieger, specially commissioned for this project; and Argentine guitarist Eduardo Isaac joins bandoneonist Marcelo Nisinman for Piazzolla's Concerto for Guitar and Bandoneón. Performed with the Córdoba Orchestra under the baton of Leo Brouwer.

Velho Retrato – Sérgio Assad solo

Velho Retrato – Sérgio Assad solo

A solo recording by Sérgio Assad in a unique collaboration with Italian clarinetist Gabriele Mirabassi. Featuring entirely original compositions, the album was recorded in the Sagrestia della Chiesa di Sant'Agostino in Perugia, exploring the intersection between chamber music writing and improvisational language.

Fuga y Misterio – Odair Assad solo

Fuga y Misterio – Odair Assad solo

The first solo recording by Odair Assad, solidifying his artistic identity beyond the acclaimed Duo Assad. With a repertoire including works by Radamés Gnattali, Astor Piazzolla, and Stepan Lucky, the album explores the intersection between Latin American chamber music and the European guitar tradition.

El Tango

El Tango

A project by violinist Gidon Kremer, featuring exceptional musicians including bandoneonist Per Arne Glorvigen, pianist Vadim Sakharov, and the Assad brothers. The album delves into the emotional depth and complexity of nuevo tango, with arrangements by Sérgio Assad for pieces such as Revirado and Che Tango Che by Astor Piazzolla.

Soul of the Tango

Soul of the Tango

An album by cellist Yo-Yo Ma celebrating Argentine tango, with guest appearances by the Assad brothers among others. The repertoire features interpretations of Astor Piazzolla's works, showcasing the soul and intricacy of tango.

Saga Dos Migrantes

Saga Dos Migrantes

This fourth collaboration with Nonesuch showcases the Assad Duo blending Brazilian music by Sérgio Assad and Egberto Gismonti with the works of Argentine composers Astor Piazzolla and Alberto Ginastera. The album explores migration not only in a literal sense but also as a metaphor for crossing between diverse musical and cultural traditions of Latin America.

Lo Que Vendrá

Lo Que Vendrá

An album featuring works by Spanish composer Joaquín Rodrigo, Brazilian composer Radamés Gnattali, and Argentine Astor Piazzolla. A true musical encounter across the Americas.

White Moon: Songs to Morpheus

White Moon: Songs to Morpheus

An album by American soprano Dawn Upshaw featuring works spanning four centuries in a collection dedicated to Morpheus, the god of sleep. With a mystical and dreamlike atmosphere, the repertoire weaves through different periods and styles, incorporating, among other sounds, the guitars of Sérgio and Odair Assad.

Natsu no Niwa Suite

Natsu no Niwa Suite

Soundtrack composed by Sérgio and Odair Assad for the Japanese film Natsu no Niwa (The Friends) directed by Shinji Somai. The film tells the story of how the relationship between three boys and a lonely old man evolves—from a childlike curiosity about death into a deep friendship marked by listening, care, and memory.

Sérgio & Odair Assad Play Rameau/Scarlatti/Couperin/Bach

Sérgio & Odair Assad Play Rameau/Scarlatti/Couperin/Bach

In their third album for the Nonesuch label, the Assad Duo performs transcriptions of Baroque works arranged by Sérgio Assad. Though primarily known for their work with Latin American repertoire, the brothers also stood out for their technically refined approach and sensitivity in interpreting Baroque music.

Two Concertos for Two Guitars

Two Concertos for Two Guitars

An album recorded by the Assad brothers with the St. Gallen Symphony Orchestra of Switzerland, under the baton of Brazilian conductor John Neschling. The repertoire includes Concierto Madrigal by Spanish composer Joaquín Rodrigo, widely recognized for his guitar works, and Concerto Op. 201 by Italian composer Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, whose music is essential to the classical guitar canon.

Guitars: Brazilian Memory Project

Guitars: Brazilian Memory Project

A project featuring recordings from a series of concerts held at Teatro Cultura Artística in São Paulo, between May 31 and July 5, 1989. The album presents an extensive repertoire covering both classical and contemporary Brazilian composers, exploring the various branches of Brazilian music for guitar. Alongside renowned guitarists such as Ulisses Rocha, Egberto Gismonti, and Marco Pereira, the Assad brothers offer technically refined performances that highlight pieces which have established the guitar as a central instrument in Brazilian music.

Alma Brasileira

Alma Brasileira

An album dedicated to Brazilian music, exploring the boundaries between classical and popular genres. It includes works by Heitor Villa-Lobos, Hermeto Pascoal, and original compositions by Sérgio Assad, reflecting the richness and complexity of Brazil's musical tradition. According to Sérgio, it's a type of music that defies categorization — 'some call it jazz, others call it avant-garde, but in Brazil we simply call it popular music.'

Latin American Music for Two Guitars

Latin American Music for Two Guitars

Debut album of the Assad Duo on the American label Nonesuch, it features works by Latin American composers, including Tango Suite by Astor Piazzolla, written especially for and dedicated to the Assad brothers, as well as original compositions by Sérgio Assad. The repertoire highlights the rhythmic and harmonic elements characteristic of Latin American music, explored with precision and interpretive depth. The album marks the beginning of the duo's collaboration with the label and reinforces their central role in promoting the Latin American guitar repertoire on the international stage.

The Debut Concert: Live in Brussels

The Debut Concert: Live in Brussels

Recorded live on November 4, 1983, at the Salle du Conservatoire Royal de Bruxelles, this concert marked the Assad Duo's artistic debut in Europe. The performance was broadcast by RTBF (Radio Télévision Belge Francophone), the public broadcaster of the French Community of Belgium, allowing thousands of listeners to discover the virtuosity and musical expressiveness of the Brazilian brothers.

Música Nova do Brasil – Sérgio Assad solo

Música Nova do Brasil – Sérgio Assad solo

Música Nova do Brasil marks the first solo album released solely by Sérgio Assad. It documents the award-winning works in the guitar category of the 1st National Composition Competition for Guitar and Piano (1978/79), organized by Irmãos Vitale Publishing in partnership with Funarte. The album presents a representative anthology of contemporary Brazilian compositions for guitar, highlighting the maturity and aesthetic diversity of this tradition in the country.

International Rostrum of Young Performers

International Rostrum of Young Performers

A compilation that documents the first international performance of the Assad Duo, during the International Music Competition of Bratislava, in the former Czechoslovakia, where they received an award. A landmark moment, still within a competitive context, that already confirmed the brothers' talent and technical skill.

Complete Works for Solo Guitar by Villa-Lobos

Complete Works for Solo Guitar by Villa-Lobos

The first complete edition of the solo guitar works of Heitor Villa-Lobos. This recording represents an important milestone in consolidating the Brazilian classical guitar repertoire, bringing together compositions that are now considered essential in the instrument's concert tradition. The album contributes to the dissemination of Villa-Lobos' legacy and affirms the guitar's role as an expressive and authentic voice of Brazilian music.

Latin America para duas guitarras, with the Armorial Orchestra

Latin America para duas guitarras, with the Armorial Orchestra

The first phonographic recording of the Assad Duo is a historic collaboration with the Armorial Orchestra, under the direction of conductor Cussy de Almeida, from Natal, Brazil. Recorded live at the Pernambuco Conservatory of Music, the LP features works by Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, Leo Brouwer, and pieces composed especially for the Duo, such as Lenda Sertaneja by Francisco Mignone. Also noteworthy is the first recording of Concerto for Two Guitars, Oboe, and String Orchestra by Radamés Gnattali, also dedicated to the Assad brothers. A historic milestone.

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