This is a most useful assemblage of some of the best-known pieces from the guitar repertory... All the music is Latin in idiom, not least the colourful Villa-Lobos. Two undoubted classics are included: the Falla Homenaje, among the most sombre and effective of elegies, and the Turina Fandanguillo, one of the early Segovia solos which burst on a moderately receptive world in the 1930's... Some of this is dispensable. That Bream is a good guitarist, however, may be dispensable information but is certainly a proposition which will win universal agreement from whoever hears the record.

-- Gramophone [1/1965]
reviewing an LP release that included the Villa-Lobos Choros and E minor Etude, the Falla Homenaje, and the Llobet and Turina works

In his music, Heitor Villa-Lobos wanted to combine the culture of the street with high culture, to fuse indigenous elements with the polyphonic structures of European classical music. The German-Brazilian guitarist Gunter Herbig, who lives in New Zealand, expands this spirit by transferring the guitar music of the Brazilian grand master to the electric guitar, giving it a meditative expanse and cosmopolitan openness that transcends the classical field of sensibility. After his groundbreaking Gurdjieff album for BIS Records, this is already the second unorthodox album on which Herbig uses the fine-nerved possibilities of his Gretsch White Falcon electric guitar to breathe into the music a dreamy spirit that flies over and unites worlds, transporting us to unknown dimensions. And finally, in the famous Aria from Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5, he unites with the samba singer Alda Rezende, who here too - an octave lower than usual - makes the music shine in a completely different new light. An album for dreamers between worlds and those who want to become one.

Review of an edition previously available of this same release:

These fine performances constitute the only complete cycle currently available of the 17 string quartets that pepper Villa-Lobos' entire career. The suite-like, five-movement No. 1, with its adorable "like a jumping bean" finale, is deceptive. Most of these are resoundingly neo-classical works full of acerbic harmonies and typically busy counterpoint, with few overtly nationalistic elements. Of course they sound just like Villa-Lobos, who was himself something of a "nationalistic element" when you come right down to it. The series reaches its culmination in the large works composed around the time of the Second World War, Nos. 7-11, which really do constitute landmark 20th century contributions to the form on a par with those of Shostakovich and Bartók.

For the most part, this is tough and serious music, and it receives tough and serious performances from the Cuarteto Latinoamericano, whose rhythmic verve and slightly astringent timbre works beautifully in clarifying the dense thicket of the composer's effusive counterpoint. Occasionally the very intensity of both music and performance becomes a bit overbearing, but then no one is suggesting that you listen to 17 quartets in a row. Overall, both the works themselves and these performances remain astonishingly consistent in quality. Sonically you couldn't ask for better. At a bargain price, this is a very attractive proposition for anyone who fancies either the composer or chamber music in general.

--David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com

Heitor Villa-Lobos’s first two symphonies take the European tradition head-on, absorbing French models prevalent in Brazil in the early twentieth century. The confident swagger of the First Symphony is characteristic of Villa-Lobos’s ‘Brazilianness,’ while the cyclical Second Symphony filters myriad influences including the music of Tchaikovsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, Debussy and Puccini. Its slow movement heralds the affecting melodic content that would later become the trademark of the Bachianas Brasileiras. This is the sixth and final volume of an acclaimed complete edition of Villa-Lobos’s symphonies in which ‘Karabtchevsky leads the way.’ (Gramophone).

Joaquín Rodrigo is best known for his Concierto de Aranjuez (Naxos 8.555841), but the fame of this great work has eclipsed a prolific output of almost 200 works including the rarely heard and profoundly original works for violin that span almost his entire life as a composer. The timelessly beautiful Adagio from the Sonata pimpante is indeed comparable to that of the Concierto de Aranjuez, and all of these pieces are captivating in their intense lyricism and originality, from Rodrigo’s only piece for solo violin, the Capriccio, to the vivacious and nostalgic Set cançons valencianes.

Choral music holds a central position in Villa-Lobos’s catalogue of works, but among these famous pieces is a series of little-known transcriptions for a cappella choir taken from the standard classical repertoire. They were intended for a teachers’ chorus and for use in schools, and through astonishing alchemy they achieve a true ‘orchestration’ of largely piano originals, adding a fresh new repertoire for vocal ensembles. This album also includes the first ever recording of Villa-Lobos’s complete set of a cappella transcriptions from Bach’s The Well-Tempered Clavier.

REVIEW:

Unbelievable Villa-Lobos Choral Transcriptions

The Bottom Line: Don’t miss this disc! These transcriptions for unaccompanied choir of keyboard music by Bach, Mendelssohn, Beethoven, Schumann, Massenet, Chopin, Rachmaninoff and Villa-Lobos himself have to be heard to be believed. They are extraordinary. Check out the sound samples in the video and add this splendid Naxos release from the São Paulo Symphony Choir under Valentina Peleggi to your collection post haste.

ClassicsToday.com

These transcriptions for unaccompanied choir of keyboard music by Bach, Mendelssohn, Beethoven, Schumann, Massenet, Chopin, Rachmaninoff and Villa-Lobos himself have to be heard to be believed. They are extraordinary.

– ClassicsToday.com (David Hurwitz)

CONTENTS:

• Mendelssohn: Songs without Words, Book 2 (6), Op. 30, No. 3
  
• Bach, J S: Prelude & Fugue Book 1 No. 8 in E♭ minor, BWV853
• Schumann: Kinderszenen, Op. 15, No. 7 ‘Träumerei’
• Bach, J S: Prelude & Fugue Book 1, No. 1 in C major, BWV846: Fugue
• Schubert: Schwanengesang, D957, No. 4: Ständchen
• Bach, J S: Prelude & Fugue Book 1 No. 21 in B♭ major, BWV866: II. Fugue
• Chopin: Waltz No. 7 in C# minor, Op. 64 No. 2
• Bach, J S: Prelude & Fugue Book 1 No. 22 in B♭ minor, BWV867: Prelude
• Rachmaninoff: Morceaux de Fantaisie, Op. 3, No. 2 in C# Minor, Prélude
• Bach, J S: Prelude & Fugue Book 2 No. 14 in F sharp major, BWV883: Prelude
• Massenet: Elégie
• Bach, J S: Prelude & Fugue Book 2 No. 5 in D major, BWV 874: Fugue
• Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 8, Op. 13 'Pathetique': Adagio cantabile
• Villa-Lobos: Bachianas Brasileiras No. 9 for chorus or string orchestra

Gathering in a single album the artistic experience of a seldom performed repertoire is the aim of this anthology, featuring compositions for strings of Villa-Lobos. Especially daring, the string trio w460, only attempt of the author in this peculiar genre, followed by various pieces where an exotic style is mixing with a sophisticated tonal research, show the versatility of whom is considered to be the most prominent Brazilian composer. The Mark Rothko ensemble was created in 2011 from the encounter of some of north eastern Italy’s best string players. Its members share a wide array of professional experiences in the chamber music, solo, orchestra and education fields to promote a magnificent repertoire that audiences are not often given an occasion to listen to.

Heitor Villa-Lobos has been described as ‘the single most significant creative figure in 20th-century Brazilian art music.’ The eleven symphonies- the enigmatic Symphony No. 5 has never been found and may not ever have been written- range from the two earliest, conceived in a broadly central Central European tradition, to the final symphony No. 12 which is notable for its explosive energy, harmonic richness and rhythmic vitality. Every aspect of Villa-Lobos’s remarkable inspiration is represented in these works, with Brazilian national rhythms and extremes of ambition in terms of scale and dramatic content, alongside neo-Classical transparency and lyrical charm. These critically acclaimed performances from São Paulo are both idiomatic and expertly played.

Past praise from reviews of previously released volumes included in this set:

Villa-Lobos: Symphonies Nos. 8, 9 & 11 / Karabtchevsky, São Paulo Symphony:

Karabtchevsky's sure-footed pacing conveys a deep understanding of these scores. The orchestra is wonderfully on point, which makes an enormous difference in music as finely shaded as this. An absolutely essential release.

– Gramophone

Villa-Lobos: Symphony No 12, Etc. / Karabtchevsky, São Paulo Symphony:

The playing of the São Paulo Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Isaac Karabtchevsky is very accomplished. The singing of the São Paulo Symphony Choir and Children’s Choir is also excellent, with the juxtaposition between the adults and children working well. Good notes and recorded sound also add to the enjoyment of this fine recording.

– MusicWeb International

Villa-Lobos: Symphonies No 6 & 7 / Karabtchevsky, Sao Paulo Symphony:

Karabtchevsky’s performances here are persuasive. He’s different enough from St. Clair, marginally slower but arguably to the music’s advantage in the numerous thickly textured passages, that there’s no reason not to collect this new series. The sonics are rich, full, and remarkably clear given the music’s density.

– ClassicsToday.com

REVIEWS:

It's very nice to see Christina Ortiz back in the saddle for a major recording. As you may recall, she recorded a lot of stuff, mostly very good, for EMI, and also did the complete Villa-Lobos piano concertos for Decca. She probably knows the style and the music as well or better than anyone alive, and her playing here has real sweep and bravura, particularly in the quick outer sections of what is basically a three-movements-in-one sort of structure. The work is one of the composer's major masterpieces, and with brilliant sonics, you'd have to be crazy not to buy this disc if you have even a shred of interest in Villa-Lobos... Choros No. 5, subtitled "Brazilian Soul", is a five-minute piano solo that not surprisingly sounds like an extended cadenza from No. 11. Ortiz plays it with unaffected gusto and a powerful lyrical impulse. Choros No. 7 is scored for an exotic assortment of strings, winds (including saxophone), and offstage tam-tam... It's hugely fun and full of timbres and textures that you'll find nowhere else. If this disc signals the start of a complete Choros series with these forces on BIS, we're in for a real treat.

--David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com

While Villa-Lobos' Bachianas Brasileiras series may be better known or more popular (at least in part), his Choros pieces are just as fine... It's high time that a label decided to record the entire sequence, and if you've been following these releases you already know just how exceptional the results are likely to be... This newcomer certainly doesn't disappoint. John Neschling leads his São Paulo forces in performances that offer the last word in glittering color and rhythmic exuberance, engineered with maximum realism and impact. The shorter, more intimate pieces are strategically placed in between the big orchestral works, making the entire disc a fabulously varied program that offers eloquent proof of Villa-Lobos' range and originality. Kudos also go to guitarist Fabio Zanon for his soulful reading of Choros No. 1, and to the various brass players for their vibrant reading of the quirkily scored No. 4. You're going to love this!

--David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com [reviewing the original release of Choros Vol. 2]

There is nothing to criticize here: it's all wonderful. This final volume in BIS's survey of the extant Choros pieces by Villa-Lobos (Nos. 13 and 14 are lost) offers in some ways the most interesting and varied assortment of the bunch. Introduction to the Choros features orchestra plus solo guitar, the latter splendidly played by Fabio Zanon. It's a soulful, evocative piece full of good tunes and colorful scoring, and you'll probably grow old and die before your local orchestra plays it live. Two Choros (Bis), a coda to the larger series of 12 numbered works, is a substantial pair of duets for violin and cello.

Choros No. 2 is another duet, this time for flute and clarinet; No. 3 is a brief chorus for male voices, winds, and percussion; No. 10 is a vibrant, primal piece for orchestra and mixed choir, while No. 12 is one of the composer's grandest and most successful large works for orchestra (it lasts more than half an hour). As already suggested, the performances are all splendid, the sonics terrific. I've already listened to this disc a dozen times, and look forward to the next dozen. Don't miss it. [11/20/2008]

--David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com [reviewing the original release of Choros Vol. 3]

The primary novelty here is the piano-solo original version of Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4, an interesting alternative to the more familiar setting for orchestra... Jean-Louis Steuerman [gives] a fine performance... Both wind players sound terrific in the brief and quirky Bachianas Brasileiras No. 6, and soprano Donna Brown sings (and hums) really beautifully in the popular No. 5. I was particularly taken with her clarity of diction and accuracy of intonation in the rapid-fire second movement. Here, and in Bachianas Brasileiras No. 1, the cello section of the São Paulo Symphony plays magnificently, with incisive rhythms (check out the first movement of No. 1) and a big, rich tone. As usual, BIS's engineering is excellent... It looks to be the Bachianas Brasileiras cycle of choice, assuming standards remain this high.

--David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com [reviewing the original release of Bachianas Brasilieras 1, 4 (piano), 5 and 6]

This new installment of what looks to be the complete orchestral Bachianas Brasileiras is as fine as the previous one. Lest this be taken for granted, bear in mind that the worst complete set of the "BB" came from Brazil. The music needs more than just a feel for the idiom: it needs to be splendidly played and recorded, which fortunately is the case here. Both Nos. 7 and 8 take a four-movement form best summed up as "prelude, aria/dance, toccata, and fugue". Under Robert Minczuk, the orchestra plays with real panache in the toccatas, but also with powerful lyrical impetus in No. 7's opening movement, which rises to a climax of positively Tchaikovskian emotion. BIS also offers a special bonus in letting us hear both versions of BB No. 9, for wordless chorus and for string orchestra. The former is all but unknown, and if the choral singing is sometimes a bit rough and ready (the parts are atrociously difficult), just having the vocal version readily available at last represents a unique treat. The engineering is typically excellent. For fans of the composer, this is self-recommending.
--David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com [reviewing the original release of Bachianas Brasilieras 7-9]

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! You'll be amazed at how effortlessly the strings articulate the hellish motor-rhythms in the finale of No. 4, or how the players differentiate the percussion timbres in the "train" movement of No. 2. Even if you know these works well, it's like hearing them for the first time. In No. 3 for piano and orchestra, not one of the best pieces in the series, conductor Roberto Minczuk shapes a performance quite similar to that on the composer's own EMI recording, albeit with infinitely greater sound and much, much better playing.
--David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com [reviewing the original release of Bachianas Brasilieras 2, 3 and 4 (orchestral)]

Nominated for a Latin GRAMMY® Award!

Heitor Villa-Lobos’s three violin sonatas date from a key period in his career: the moment at which he matured as a composer, established his personal idiom and achieved his first professional triumphs. Each sonata shares some influence from French late Romanticism or Impressionism, as well as revealing Villa-Lobos’s skill as a string player. The First Violin Sonata’s subtitle of Désespérance (‘Despair’) suits its melancholy lyricism, while the ‘infinite abundance of musical ideas’ in the Second Violin Sonata is characterized by a wide range of emotions. The sophisticated Third Violin Sonata is steeped in the influence of Debussy, but also anticipates Villa-Lobos’s new directions in the 1920s.

REVIEW:

This new recording is so good, it is not of interest only to Villa-Lobos completists. It is worth collecting in terms of sheer performance, a shining example of a simpatico violin/piano partnership. Pablo Rossi’s piano playing is so nuanced and expressive, and Emmanuele Baldini’s violin so poised, centered in tone, and totally devoid of intonational issues, that together they make beautiful music. Rossi is Brazilian, and while violinist Baldini is Italian he has moved on to conducting, studying with Isaac Karabtchevsky, who is arguably the world’s authority on conducting Villa-Lobos. As is Naxos’s habit, the duo is recorded fairly closely, but in this instance they can take it and the sound is not dry. A lovely chamber recital.

-- Fanfare