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July 1, 2009
∞From associations with these choro musicians who played guitar, and primarily from João Pernambuco, Villa-Lobos extracted the basis for his guitar works, considered the most important for the instrument in this [twentieth] century.Larry Crook writes about the great guitarist João Pernambuco, and his close connection with Villa-Lobos, in his book Focus: Music of Northeast Brazil.
Villa-Lobos’s First Cello Concerto, with cellist William Molina Cestari. Enrique Arturo Diemecke conducts the Orquesta Sinfónica “Simón Bolívar”.
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The construct of extraversion can help explain how and why Heitor Villa-Lobos composed music while listening to the radio, smoking cigars, and chatting with friends.Oxford Handbook of Personality Assessment, James N. Butcher, p. 301
June 28, 2009
∞Imagine if Carl Orff had relocated his Carmina Burana on Copacabana Beach, thrown in some sound-effects from the rainforest, and been a hundred times more daring in his harmonies, and you’ll have some idea of what this 15-minute thriller sounds like.Richard Morrison’s review of Choros #10 with MTT and the LSO. This piece made quite an impact in London. It’s great that it’s been programmed in this year’s Last Night of the Proms.
June 19, 2009
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BIS is releasing a bargain-priced 7-disc set made up of its highly regarded Complete Choros and Complete Bachianas Brasileiras sets, on July 1, 2009.
Through the Night on BBC Radio3 this weekend
3.38am Villa-Lobos, Heitor (1887-1959): Bachianas brasileiras No 9, The Amadeus Polish Radio Chamber Orchestra in Poznan, Agnieszka Duczmal (conductor) - Listen for the next seven days on the BBC iPlayer.June 17, 2009
∞The borders of what is classical and non-classical in Brazil are not very clear. They have never been. So it’s very rare that you will find people who are strictly classical musicians: they always play different styles. And because that border is not so well-defined, it’s difficult – even for classical musicians or composers – to tell to what degree they are really classical. (Heitor) Villa-Lobos is a great example: he’s one of the best or the most famous composers to come out of Brazil. He drew from the Brazilian tradition and he wrote his music based on national elements so his music sounds sometimes like popular Brazilian music.Sergio Assad, in an interview at York University’s Excalibur web edition.
June 14, 2009
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The Villa-Lobos Concerts database includes concerts from about 50 different countries. This concert was the first I had seen from Viet Nam. It’s encouraging to see how far Villa-Lobos’s reputation has travelled.
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The Villa-Lobos Guitar Concerto, with Gustavo Costa, guitar, and the Sinfônica de Ribeirão Preto conducted by Rubens Ricciardi
June 11, 2009
∞The Fantasia is one of the signature concertos for saxophone and it is perfectly conceived for the voice of the soprano saxophone particularly. The three movements cover a wide emotional range, and the lyrical and virtuosic elements are beautifully balanced.Jazz saxophonist Steve Wilson, talking about next month’s concert featuring Villa-Lobos at the Vermont Mozart Festival.
June 6, 2009
∞[The 3 piano trios] “… are almost a catalog of 20th-century pianistic techniques and idioms.The Piano in Chamber Ensemble: An Annotated Guide, Maurice Hinson, Wesley Roberts, Indiana U Press, p. 435, 2006.
June 5, 2009
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Another inscribed photo: this one from 1946 is to the flutist Gerardo Levy.
From the photo gallery of the Biblioteca Virtual Gilberto Freyre, this 1953 photo inscribed by Villa-Lobos to Freyre, the great sociologist and cultural anthropologist.
I was thinking of Villa-Lobos — his music is classical but if you listen carefully you hear Brazil. There’re panderos in the woodwinds. The French horns sound like surdo [Brazilian bass] or repinique [samba drums]. Villa-Lobos’ compositions reveal his experience of playing choro music in the streets.Jazz musician David Sánchez talks about Villa’s influence on his 2004 album Coral, in this article by Susan Kepecs. Lots more about this album here.
June 4, 2009
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The Perspectives Ensemble website includes an archive of past performance posters. This one is from April 3, 1997 - The World of Heitor Villa-Lobos, at St. Paul’s Chapel, Columbia University. There’s a larger image here.
