Arthur Moreira Lima

Origin

Rio de Janeiro, RJ

Also known as

Artur Moreira Lima

Years Active

1949–2024

Genres

classical music, choro, MPB

Instruments

piano

Biography

Arthur Moreira Lima was a renowned Brazilian concert pianist, internationally recognized as one of the greatest exponents of his instrument in the country. Born in Rio de Janeiro, he began studying the piano in childhood and stood out early on in national competitions, achieving worldwide prominence by winning major awards such as second place at the Frédéric Chopin International Piano Competition in Warsaw, behind only Martha Argerich. Throughout his brilliant career, he performed on the main stages of Europe, the Americas, and the former Soviet Union.

In addition to his acclaimed interpretations of the classical European repertoire, which included names like Bach, Beethoven, and Chopin, the pianist played a fundamental role in the dissemination of Brazilian music. He dedicated himself fervently to the work of composers such as Ernesto Nazareth, Heitor Villa-Lobos, and Radamés Gnattali, uniting the erudition of concert music with the popular roots of choro and samba. This versatility also marked his work on television, where he hosted the program Um Toque de Classe on TV Manchete, welcoming major icons of MPB.

In a pioneering initiative for cultural democratization beginning in the 1990s, he created the project Um Piano pela Estrada, traveling through public squares, outskirts, and small Brazilian cities aboard a truck adapted with a grand piano. Moreira Lima received several honors throughout his career, including the Order of Cultural Merit and an honorary doctorate from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. He passed away in 2024, leaving an incomparable legacy for Brazilian culture and instrumental music.

Discography

• F. Chopin, Arthur Moreira, Marta Sosinska – The VII International Piano Competition Warsaw = VII Międzynarodowy Konkurs Pianistyczny Warszawa 1965 (1965)
• Radu Lupu, Boris Petrushansky, Georges Pludermacher, Arthur Moreira Lima, Anne Queffélec – Leeds International Pianoforte Competition, 1969 Disc No. 2 (1970)
• Chopin (1970)
• Radu Lupu, Boris Petrushansky, Georges Pludermacher, Arthur Moreira Lima, Anne Queffélec – Leeds International Pianoforte Competition, 1969 (1970)
• Laureates Of The IV Tchaikovsky International Competition (1971)
• Артур Морейра-Лима - Ф. Лист / Ф. Шопен / С. Прокофьев / Э. Вилла-Лобос – Сонет Петрарки № 104 / Вальс № 5 / Полонез-Фантазия / Соната № 2 Для Фортепиано / Сиранды (1972)
• Arthur Moreira Lima Interpreta Ernesto Nazareth (1975)
• Arthur Moreira Lima Interpreta Fréderic Chopin (1976)
• Э. Вилла-Лобос - Артур Морейра-Лима, Большой Симфонический Оркестр Всесоюзного Радио , Conductor Владимир Федосеев – Концерт № 1 Для Фортепиано С Оркестром (1976)
• Heitor Villa-Lobos, Arthur Moreira Lima – Villa-Lobos: Music for Piano (1977)
• Arthur Moreira Lima Interpreta Ernesto Nazareth Nº 2 (1977)
• Arthur Moreira-Lima Plays Chopin – The 14 Waltzes (1977)
• Frédéric Chopin, Arthur Moreira-Lima – Chopin Piano Recital (1978)
• Radamés Gnattali, Arthur Moreira Lima – A Grande Música de Noel Rosa (1978)
• Arthur Moreira Lima, Abel Ferreira, Época de Ouro – Chorando Baixinho - Um Encontro Histórico (1979)
• Elomar e Arthur Moreira Lima – Parcelada Malunga (1980)
• Com Licença... (1981)
• João Carlos Martins, Arthur Moreira Lima – Bach Meets Chopin (1981)
• Chopin: 21 Noturnos - Obra Completa: Volume I (1981)
• Heitor Villa-Lobos - Melodias Populares (1981)
• Elomar, Arthur Moreira Lima, Paulo Moura, Heraldo do Monte – ConSertão (Um Passeio Musical pelo Brasil) (1982)
• As 12 Valsas de Esquina de Francisco Mignone (1982)
• The Best Pieces Of Chopin (1982)
• Chopin: 16 Polonaises - Obra Completa: Volume III (1983)
• Chopin: 4 Scherzi - 19 Valsas - Obra Completa: Volume II (1983)
• Ernesto Nazareth (1983)
• Ernesto Nazareth - Volume II (1984)
• Danças Brasileiras: Tangos, Waltzes & Chorinhos (1984)
• De Repente (1984)
• Arthur Moreira Lima, Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff, Scriabin – Música Russa (1984)
• The 767 Is Coming... (1984)
• Brahms e Debussy (1985)
• Chopin: 24 Prelúdios Op. 28 - Obra Completa: Volume IV (1985)
• Valsas Brasileiras (1985)
• Brazilian Dances (1986)
• Frédéric Chopin, Arthur Moreira Lima – Grandes Mestres da Música - Chopin - Sua Vida e Obra (1987)
• Chopin - Obra Completa para Piano e Orquestra - Vol. 1 (1987)
• Chopin - Obra Completa para Piano e Orquestra - Vol. 2 (1987)
• Chopin - Obra Completa para Piano e Orquestra - Vol. 3 (1987)
• Villa-Lobos - Antologia para Piano (1988)
• Radamés Gnattali (1989)
• Chopin, Arthur Moreira Lima, Philharmonia Bulgarica, Dimiter Manolov – Klavierkonzert No. 1 / Phantasie Über Polnische Melodien / Andante Spianato Et Grande Polonaise (1989)
• Edvard Grieg, Frédéric Chopin, Dubravka Tomsic, Arthur Moreira-Lima – Piano Concerto / Krakowiak (1990)
• Brazilian Nights - The Tangos Of Ernesto Nazareth (1990)
• Heitor Villa-Lobos por Arthur Moreira Lima - Rudepoema / A Prole do Bebê Nº 1 (1990)
• Heitor Villa-Lobos por Arthur Moreira Lima - Bachianas Brasileira nº 4 - Ciclo Brasileiro (1990)
• Heitor Villa-Lobos por Arthur Moreira Lima - Cirandas (1990)
• Tchaikovsky por Arthur Moreira Lima - As Estações (1990)
• Nelson Gonçalves & Arthur Moreira Lima – O Boêmio & o Pianista (1992)
• Chopin, Arthur Moreira Lima, Philharmonia Bulgarica, Dimiter Manolov – Piano Concerto No. 1 / Fantasia On Polish Air (1993)
• Chopin - Arthur Moreira Lima, Philharmonia Bulgarica, Dimiter Manolov – Piano Concerto No. 2, Variations For Piano And Orchestra, Krakoviak (1994)
• Arthur Moreira Lima / Altamiro Carrilho – Brasil Musical (1995)
• Interpreta Piazzolla (1997)
• Villa-Lobos I (1998)
• Chopin - Arthur Moreira Lima – Chopin I - Concerto N°. 1 para Piano e Orquestra - Krakowiak (1998)
• Clássicos Favoritos I (1998)
• Clássicos Favoritos II (1998)
• Arthur Moreira Lima, Beethoven – Sonatas Favoritas (1998)
• J. S. Bach (1998)
• Chopin III (1998)
• Clássicos Favoritos III (1998)
• Chopin IV - Os Noturnos Famosos (1998)
• Chopin V - As Polonaises Volume I (Paris) (1998)
• Schumann & Liszt II (1999)
• Mozart - Sonatas Célebres (1999)
• Chopin VI - As Polonaises Volume II (Varsóvia) (1999)
• Clássicos Favoritos V (1999)
• João Carlos Martins' Bach - Bach e Chopin - Prelúdios, Vol. 1 (2007)
• João Carlos Martins' Bach - Bach e Chopin - Prelúdios, Vol. 2 (2007)
• O Piano Brasileiro de Arthur Moreira Lima, Vol.6: Ernesto Nazareth (2013)
• O Piano Brasileiro de Arthur Moreira Lima, Vol. 11: Arthur e Seus Amigos (Ao Vivo) (2013)
• O Piano Brasileiro de Arthur Moreira Lima, Vol.7: Ernesto Nazareth (2013)
• O Piano Brasileiro de Arthur Moreira Lima, Vol.9: Radames Gnattali (2013)
• O Piano Brasileiro de Arthur Moreira Lima, Vol.10: Radames Gnattali (2013)
• O Piano Brasileiro de Arthur Moreira Lima, Vol.8: Francisco Mignone (2013)
• O Piano Brasileiro de Arthur Moreira Lima, Vol.2 (2014)
• O Piano Brasileiro de Arthur Moreira Lima, Vol.1: De Repente (2014)
• O Piano Brasileiro de Arthur Moreira Lima, Vol.3: Heitor Villa Lobos (2014)
• O Piano Brasileiro de Arthur Moreira Lima, Vol.4: Heitor Villa-lobos (2014)
• O Piano Brasileiro de Arthur Moreira Lima, Vol.5: Heitor Villa-lobos (2014)
• Chopin, Concierto para piano y Orquesta (2015)
• O Piano de Arthur Moreira Lima: Peças Preferidas 1 (2020)
• O Piano de Arthur Moreira Lima: Peças Favoritas 2 (2020)
• O Piano de Arthur Moreira Lima: Peças Favoritas 3 (2021)
• Chopin: The Complete Waltzes (2021)
• O Piano de Arthur Moreira Lima: Peças Favoritas 4 (2021)
• Mozart & Haydn (2023)
• Chopin - Scherzi, Ballades & Barcarola (2023)
• Chopin - 16 Polonaises, 8 Mazurkas (2023)
• Brahms: Concerto No. 2 & Scriabin: 12 Estudos (2023)