Brazilian-born Walter Burle Marx (1902–1990) spent the better part of his life in the U.S., where he worked as a conductor and as a composer. He appeared as guest conductor of the Berliner Philharmoniker, the New York Philharmonic, as well as the Cleveland Orchestra and the Detroit Symphony. He worked with soloists, such as Artur Rubinstein and Margarita Long. He conducted the U.S. premieres of many Brazilian composers, as well as of his own works. One of them, Fantastic Episodes, made E. Olin Downes, a New York Times critic, exclaim: „This is a score of astonishing workmanship. Few are those young musicians of his generation, who can compose in such a professional manner!“ Symphony No. 3 titled Impressões de Macumba is one of his most notable compositions. Over the past few years, Burle Marx has been hailed as one of the most expressive composers of his time.