HEITOR VILLA-LOBOS (1887 – 1959)

 

Bachianas Brasileiras Nos 2, 7, 8

Bachianas Brasileiras No. 9 – versions for string orchestra and for choir a cappella

 

São Paulo Symphony Orchestra, São Paulo Symphony Orchestra Choir / Roberto Minczuk

 

On this last disc of Villa-Lobos’s monumental Bachianas Brasileiras series, the last three Bachianas are being performed. All three are orchestral works, although No. 9 was composed so that it also could be performed by choir a cappella (or as he called it 'an orchestra of voices') – a version which is included on this disc.

 

According to Villa-Lobos, Bach's music was music for the people - indeed, he even called it 'folk-loric'. As a result, the combination of Bachian polyphony and Brazilian elements evident in his Bachianas Brasileiras came naturally to him, even if it may have struck – and still strike – audiences as unexpected.

 

The previous instalment in this series was greeted with enthusiasm by the critics: “These performances of Bachianas Brasileiras Nos. 2 and 4 easily are the finest available. The São Paulo Symphony Orchestra certainly ought to know how to play this music, and do they ever!” was the verdict on Classics Today, while the reviewer in Fanfare praised conductor Roberto Minczuk for managing “a perfect balance of the earthy, folk elements and the classical framework in which they are placed by Villa-Lobos”.

 

BISCD1400