Classical Music

Heitor Villa Lobos is regarded as the most important creative force of 20th century Brazilian art. Born in the 19th century and active in the 20th century, his music is reminiscent of both epoques. His enormous catalog numbers over a thousand compositions, comprising an array of styles from traditional experimental. Never receiving any formal training, he was introduced to music by his father who taught him to play the cello and clarinet. Villa Lobos soaked in the musical culture from the soirées his father frequently hosted in their home. As a young man in Rio de Janeiro, Villa Lobos played for silent movies at the Cinema Odeon and later at the Opera Orchestra. When the Ballets Russes traveled to Brazil, he played in the orchestra and was introduced to the iconic music of Stravinsky and Debussy. Jason Solounias has performed across the United States and Europe at venues ranging from Kennedy Center to Southwark Cathedral and has appeared as a soloist with the Trinity Chamber Orchestra and the Pan American Symphony Orchestra. Jason began his studies in his hometown of Havre de Grace, Maryland with Ierene Yeakel and completed his Bachelors of Arts at Stephen University with Scott Beard

On this release, Marcelo Bratke continues his journey through the complete Villa-Lobos solo piano works. This release features volumes 4 and 5, and includes such Villa-Lobos’s Guia Practico Albums 1-11. During a decade of extraordinary accomplishments and performances, Marcelo Bratke, one of Brazil’s preeminent pianists, has performed at some of the world’s most renowned venues, including Carnegie Hall, the Salzburg Festival, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Wigmore Hall, and the Konzerthaus in Berlin. In recent years, he has become increasingly focused on how the arts can engage in politics and help contribute to improvements in society. “The Villa-Lobos pieces played by Mr. Bratke at the start were best of all, offering hints of wildness, yet with elegant construction, subtle rhythmic dislocations and shining piano colors… Mr. Bratke is a fine and flexible pianist, perfectly happy either to play Bach or to plunge into the popular music he set next to it.” (The New York Times)

Classical Music

BRASILIANISCHE IMPRESSIONEN

Villa-Lobos: Choros Nos. 8 & 9

VILLA-LOBOS: String Quartets Nos. 4, 6 and 14

VILLA-LOBOS: Rudepoema / Dancas

VILLA-LOBOS: Discovery of Brazil, Suites Nos. 1 - 4

VILLA-LOBOS: Pequena Suite / Bachianas brasileiras Nos. 2, 5

Roberto Duarte revised both these works with the support of the Museo Villa-Lobos in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Classical Music

There are few collections of works that better fit the expression 'a musical universe' than the Choros of Villa-Lobos. Composed between 1920 and 1929, these works were scored for various forces - from solo guitar (Choros No.1) to choir and symphony orchestra (No.10) - with durations ranging from three (No.2) to sixty minutes (No.11). In terms of style they are equally diverse. Villa-Lobos himself described them as 'serenades' and cited the influence from the music of the chorões, Brazilian popular musicians of the period. But in several of the Choros, for instance Nos 3 and 10, there are also reminiscences of the indigenous cultures of the Amazonas, and in others it is plain to hear that they were composed during Villa-Lobos's years in Paris, where he enjoyed access to the most avant-garde circles. The previous two discs in this series have received great acclaim in the music press, for instance in Le Monde de la Musique: 'John Neschling, his soloists and the São Paulo Symphony Orchestra defend this music with great energy and precision - a music which is eclectic without in any way being superficial, and whose rich and complex textures merit being rediscovered.' Other distinctions include an Editor's Choice in Gramophone and top marks on the website Classics Today, whose reviewer described the recordings as 'performances that offer the last word in glittering color and rhythmic exuberance, engineered with maximum realism and impact.' The present disc completes the cycle, which consists of the 12 extant Choros (according to Villa-Lobos himself another two were completed, but the manuscripts were lost before publication), a prologue (the Introduction to the Choros, incidentally composed almost last), and the Two Choros (bis) - an 'after thought' in which a violin and a cello are left to sum up the cycle.

This is a hybrid Super Audio CD playable on both regular and Super Audio CD players.


Villa-Lobos' late masterpiece, Forest of the Amazon, began life as a Hollywood film score, the majority of which was never used. So he developed the music into a huge, 80-minute-long, multi-movement suite that serves both as a tribute to his homeland and a fitting culmination of his personal musical voice. The work has everything: luscious orchestration, great tunes, a "primitive" male choir chanting in a primordial language, some lovely songs for soprano, and passages of wordless vocalise for the same singer evocative of exotic birdsong. Does it sound "Hollywood-esque"? Yes, but only to the extent that Villa-Lobos often works in a similar idiom anyway. More significantly, the piece is chock-full of contrast--but there are also recurring elements (the War Dance, for example) that help to bind it together and give it shape. It's not just 80 minutes of "atmosphere".

The only competition for this recording, for which a new edition of the score was specially prepared, comes from Alfred Heller's very good Moscow recording, which contains a touch less music. Certainly in terms of sheer sonic opulence, the performers' ability to project the style with total confidence and commitment, and the excellence of the singing (soprano Anna Korondi is superb), this vividly engineered SACD sets a new standard. If you've been collecting this Brazilian music series (and you certainly should be), then this new release will be self-recommending. It's simply magnificent.

--David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com

Classical Music