Tumbling Villa-Lobos

"Villa-Lobos needed pruning shears in order to lop off musical filler."

Sat, 12 Dec 2009 13:31:06 -0700

“Villa-Lobos needed pruning shears in order to lop off musical filler.”

- Donald Thompson & Francis Schwartz discuss a performance of Piano Concerto #1, from Concert life in Puerto Rico, 1957-1992: views & reviews, p. 153.

Aulustrio play the finale from the second Piano Trio, from a...

Wed, 09 Dec 2009 21:37:17 -0700

Aulustrio play the finale from the second Piano Trio, from a November 29 concert.

Yerma in Manaus in 2010? That would be great, but I...

Wed, 09 Dec 2009 12:02:33 -0700

Yerma in Manaus in 2010? That would be great, but I haven’t heard anything definite. Please let me know if you hear any news about this project.

"Chuck Wolcott’s assignment was to survey the music of Brazil, and Brazil offered a wealth of..."

Mon, 07 Dec 2009 18:48:12 -0700

“Chuck Wolcott’s assignment was to survey the music of Brazil, and Brazil offered a wealth of musical treasures to choose from. Initially, in line with their advance plans, the group pursued the idea of working with serious Brazilian music. Walt did meet with Villa-Lobos and with other composers, including Francisco Mignone and Hekel Tavares, discussing the possibility of a ‘Brazilian Fantasia-type short.’”

- This would have been cool: I’m assuming that the Disney people were interested in the Little Train movement from Bachianas Brasileiras #2. From the new book South of the Border with Disney: Walt Disney and the Good Neighbor Program, 1941-1948, p. 33.

Manuel Negwer’s 2008 book Heitor Villa-Lobos und der...

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 17:30:27 -0700

Manuel Negwer’s 2008 book Heitor Villa-Lobos und der Aufbruch der brasilianischen Musik has been translated into Portuguese. Let’s hope an English version is on its way.

Villa-Lobos: O Florescimento da Música Brasileira
Autor: Manuel Negwer
Tradutor: Stéfano Paschoal
Editora: Martins Martins Fontes
Número de páginas: 320
Preço sugerido: R$ 44,90

I heard about the launch of a new book “Villa-Lobos e o...

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 14:54:00 -0700

I heard about the launch of a new book “Villa-Lobos e o Violao” by Humberto Amorim from the essential Audições Brasileiras blog - thanks Carlos!

Here’s a Youtube video of Amorim on Globo News, discussing the book and playing Valsa de Concerto n.2. Here’s a blog with critical commentary on the book (including blurbs from many important Brazilian musicians).

Paulo Zereu is a Brazilian pianist based in Bangkok. This video...

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 10:38:01 -0700

Paulo Zereu is a Brazilian pianist based in Bangkok. This video clip is from a November 2009 concert celebrating two 50-year anniversaries. In 1959 Villa-Lobos died, and Brazil and Thailand instituted diplomatic relations. The concert was at the Brazilian Embassy in Bangkok.

The latest issue of the Academia Brasileira de Musica’s...

Thu, 26 Nov 2009 19:47:00 -0700

The latest issue of the Academia Brasileira de Musica’s magazine Brasiliana features Villa-Lobos, with articles by Vasco Mariz, Turibio Santos, Ricardo Tacuchian, Guilherme Bernstein, and Maria Alice Volpe.

The Quinteto Villa-Lobos performs on the TV Cultura program...

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 19:35:50 -0700

The Quinteto Villa-Lobos performs on the TV Cultura program “Mosaicos: A arte de Villa-Lobos”. From the excellent Villa-Lobos section of the TV Cultura website.

"Mr. Villa-Lobos hears with his own ears - not those that a conservatory told him to listen with."

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 09:38:51 -0700

“Mr. Villa-Lobos hears with his own ears - not those that a conservatory told him to listen with.”

- Olin Downes, NY Times, Jan. 19, 1955, p. 22.

In a 1995 concert, William Molina Cestari plays...

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 13:13:00 -0700

In a 1995 concert, William Molina Cestari plays Villa-Lobos’s First Cello Concerto. The Orquestra Sinfonica Simon Bolivar is conducted by Enrique Arturo Diemecke. Here are links to Part2, Part3, Part4, and Part5.

Later this month President Lula and the Minister of Culture will...

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 14:44:11 -0700

Later this month President Lula and the Minister of Culture will present the Ordem do Mérito Cultural to worthy individuals and organizations, in memory of Heitor Villa-Lobos, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the composer’s death.

"I was starting to get bored when something unexpected happened. One of the orchestra members,..."

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 10:01:25 -0700

“I was starting to get bored when something unexpected happened. One of the orchestra members, looking around the auditorium during intermission, noticed me in the audience. When the next part began, I heard music that was completely unlike what had been played in the previous part. It was a furious, exotic dance, crazy in its ceaseless rhythmic impulse, extraordinarily colorful, clear in its harmony and instrumentation. I immediately felt a breeze of uncommon talent in his music.”

- Artur Rubinstein hears Villa-Lobos’s music for the first time. Quoted in Sachs & Manildi’s Rubinstein: a life, p. 193

Villa-Lobos and Mindinha arrive in New York in 1958. A picture...

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 19:22:55 -0700

Villa-Lobos and Mindinha arrive in New York in 1958. A picture from the Museu Villa-Lobos (from the amazing TVCultura Villa-Lobos site).

A “Making Of” video by Projeto B, from “A...

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:48:17 -0700

A “Making Of” video by Projeto B, from “A Viagem de Villa Lobos”.

A new CD-ROM “Heitor Villa-Lobos – O Caminho Sinuoso da...

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:45:36 -0700

A new CD-ROM “Heitor Villa-Lobos – O Caminho Sinuoso da Predestinação”. The launch is November 23 at 19:00, at the Livraria Dario Vellozo.

Nice to see links to my Twitter feed, Tumbling VL, VL Magazine,...

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:09:46 -0700

Nice to see links to my Twitter feed, Tumbling VL, VL Magazine, and HVL Website featured on this page of Villa-Lobos Links at TV Cultura. The two main routes to Villa-Lobos go through Rio de Janeiro and Red Deer!

A pleasant caricature of Villa-Lobos by Lored Ano, in...

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 09:47:00 -0700

A pleasant caricature of Villa-Lobos by Lored Ano, in today’s issue of O Estado de Sao Paulo.

A tour of Homenaje a Heitor Villa-Lobos, the multimedia exhibit,...

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 20:34:40 -0700

A tour of Homenaje a Heitor Villa-Lobos, the multimedia exhibit, at the Casa do Brasil in Mexico.

Villa-Lobos and the members of Projeto B, the group who recently...

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 10:49:00 -0700

Villa-Lobos and the members of Projeto B, the group who recently recorded a new CD A Viagem de Villa-Lobos, as drawn by Manu Maltez. The CD launch is tomorrow, Nov. 11, 2009, in Sao Paulo.