Guilherme Arantes

Guilherme Arantes attained prominence through his own renderings of pieces such as "Meu Mundo e Nada Mais," "Planeta Água," "Cheia de Charme," "Coisas do Brasil," and further titles created in tandem with assorted collaborators. Numerous interpreters have likewise brought his material to audiences, among them Elis Regina, Caetano Veloso, Roberto Carlos, Cláudia Telles, Gang 90, Biafra, Ana Belém, Quarteto em Cy, Jessé, Cauby Peixoto, Belchior, Ney Matogrosso, Luiz Ayrão, Sandra Sá, MPB-4, Fafá de Belém, A Cor do Som, Vanusa, Zizi Possi, Joanna, Eliete Negreiros, Emílio Santiago, Barão Vermelho, Os Cariocas, 14 Bis, Flávio Venturini, Verônica Sabino, Ná Ozetti, Pena Branca & Xavantinho, Nenhum de Nós, Klébi, Chitãozinho e Xororó, Maria Bethânia, Leila Pinheiro, and Sá e Guarabira. Over twenty telenovela soundtracks incorporate his compositions.

His surgeon father, an amateur acoustic guitarist, prompted early study that equipped him with the cavaquinho, mandolin, and piano by age six. In adolescence he assembled the amateur ensemble Polissonante for club-party engagements, soon afterward supported Jorge Mautner, and produced advertising jingles for Pauta, Sonotec, and Vice-Versa. While enrolled in architecture at FAU he founded Moto Perpétuo with Cláudio Lucci and Diógenes; bassist Gerson Tatini and guitarist Egydio Conde later joined. The group issued a rudimentary debut album and appeared at Iacanga as well as the Águas Claras festival alongside O Terço and O Som Nosso de Cada Dia.

Late in 1975 he exited the band to launch a solo career. "Meu Mundo e Nada Mais" served as the theme for the TV Globo telenovela Anjo Mau, whose reception cleared the path for the self-titled debut LP Guilherme Arantes on Som Livre, issued in mid-1976. During that peak he mounted concerts and television spots, yet the ensuing five years and four WEA albums met with limited commercial uptake. Elis Regina, ever alert to fresh songwriters, commissioned a piece; within two weeks Arantes supplied "Aprendendo a Jogar," which became a hit under her voice, and she also recorded "Só Deus É Quem Sabe."

In January 1981 he cut "Deixa Chover" for the Baila Comigo telenovela soundtrack; the same session yielded "Planeta Água," which placed second at the 1981 MPB Shell Festival. Arantes has recounted co-writing the hit "Perdidos Na Selva" with Júlio Barroso for Gang 90 & The Absurdettes at that same event, though credit was withheld under the rule barring any composer from entering two songs. The subsequent album Lance legal (1982) enjoyed immediate radio favor, with strong rotation for "Lance Legal," "O Melhor Vai Começar," "Prelúdio," "Todo Mês De Maio," and "Luz Verde," yet sold fewer than 30,000 copies. Returning to the Sigla imprint (Som Livre), he recorded Ligação, which produced the hits "Pedacinhos," "Graffitti," and "Grávida."

In that span he also supplied songs, all with poet Paulo Leminski, for Globo children's specials: "Lindo Balão Azul" for Pirlimpimpim, "Brincar De Viver" (recorded by Maria Bethânia) for Plunct Plact Zuum, and further numbers for Pirlimpimpim 2. Concurrently he collaborated with Nelson Motta on tracks placed in the films Menino do Rio and Garota Dourada, the latter of which he scored outright. In 1984 he relocated to Rio and joined CBS, scoring successes with "Olhos Vermelhos," "Cheia de Charme," "Gaivotas," and "Oceano"; the Nelson Motta co-write "Coisas do Brasil," featured on Calor, registered as a major hit. August 1987 brought the recording of "Um Dia, Adeus" for the Mandala telenovela, while "Sob O Efeito De Um Olhar" from the Vamp soundtrack likewise charted strongly.

He resettled in São Paulo in 1993. July 2000 saw the release of the CD New Classical Piano Solos; forwarded to Steinway Co., the disc placed Arantes on the Roster of Steinway Artists. That same month he presented a concert at Steinway Hall with Juilliard School musicians—two violins, viola, cello, double-bass, flute, oboe, and clarinet—performing his own arrangements. On August 27, 2000, he joined Emílio Santiago for a set at Brazil Fest in New York's Lincoln Center.