Biography:

Henrique Morelenbaum , artistic name of Saul Herz Morelenbaum ( Łagów , September 5 , 1931 – Rio de Janeiro , July 22 , 2022 ) was a Brazilian musician , conductor and teacher of Polish origin . ^[ 1 ]

Biography

Morelenbaum was born in Łagów , Poland and arrived in Brazil at the age of 3; having been naturalized at the age of 16. ^{[ 2 ] [ 3 ] [ 4 ]} He studied violin , viola , conducting and composition at the School of Music of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) with Paulina d’Ambrósio and holds a PhD in Music and professor at the same university. ^{[ 3 ] [ 2 ]}

The beginning of Morelenbaum’s career as a conductor happened by chance in 1959 , in a show where Margot Fonteyn was the main artist, Morelenbaum took over the baton due to a sudden impediment of the conductor that had previously been scheduled. ^{[ 5 ] [ 6 ]}

In 1956 , he joined the Quarteto da Rádio MEC , in Rio de Janeiro. In 1972 , he received the award for Best Conductor of the Year from the São Paulo Association of Art Critics . ^[ 7 ]

The musician would still be chief director of Sala Cecília Meireles on two occasions (1965-1966 and 1987-1991) and, also on two occasions, directed the Municipal Theater of Rio de Janeiro , where he was still conductor of the Choir and Orchestra of this institution. ^[ 3 ] He occupied chair No. 16 of the Brazilian Academy of Music. ^[ 3 ] He would also conduct the Coral of the Instituto Israelita Brasileiro. ^[ 2 ]

Abroad, Morelenbaum conducted orchestras in Eastern European countries , such as Hungary and Poland (his native country). In 1973 , he was the only Brazilian to be invited to participate in the Paris Opera ballet season . ^[ 7 ]

The musician also played an important role in promoting Brazilian composers by recording works by conductors Heitor Villa-Lobos , Francisco Braga , Leopoldo Miguez and Radamés Gnatalli . ^[ 7 ] He would also be responsible for the Brazilian premieres of fundamental works in the history of music, such as the operas “Peter Grimes” , by Benjamin Britten , and “The Rake’s progress” , by Igor Stravinsky . ^[ 7 ] Morelenbaum formed more than one generation of composers, including the former director of Sala Cecília Meireles, Ronaldo Miranda, and the current one, João Guilherme Ripper.^[ 7 ]

Morelenbaum died of natural causes. Of Jewish descent, he was buried in the Cemitério Israelita Vila Rosali , in the Vila Rosali neighborhood of the city of São João de Meriti , in Baixada Fluminense . The maestro is survived by his wife Sarah and children Jaques , Eduardo and Lucia Morelenbaum (all musicians). He also had six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. On the night he died, the Theatro Municipal do Rio de Janeiro dedicated a performance of the opera “ Don Giovanni ” to his memory. ^[ 3 ]

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