Tumbling Villa-Lobos

From the 47th Festival Villa-Lobos taking place this month in...

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 09:57:10 -0700

From the 47th Festival Villa-Lobos taking place this month in Rio de Janeiro, the Coro Infantil da UFRJ sings Villa-Lobos’s arrangement of the lovely song “Se essa rua fosse minha”. Great t-shirts!

"Quando eu era criança, o desafio das grandes obras universais do repertório pianístico ocupava o..."

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 09:06:53 -0700

“Quando eu era criança, o desafio das grandes obras universais do repertório pianístico ocupava o centro das preocupações de todos nós. Os compositores brasileiros eram, em geral, considerados de menor complexidade, e suas obras mereciam leituras muitas vezes apressadas e superficiais. Essa percepção mudou radicalmente para mim - ainda na primeira juventude - depois de ouvir Guiomar de Novaes tocar ‘A Prole do Bebê nº 1’ num recital inesquecível no Rio de Janeiro. Percebi então que a música de Villa era universal como a de Bach, Beethoven ou Brahms”

- Great Brazilian pianist Nelson Freire on Villa-Lobos. Google Translation:

“When I was a child, the challenge of the great works of universal pianistic repertoire occupied the central concern of us all. The Brazilian composers were generally considered less complex, and his works deserve readings often rushed and superficial. This perception changed dramatically for me - even in early youth - after hearing of Guiomar Novaes playing “A Prole do Bebe No. 1” in a memorable recital in Rio de Janeiro. I realized then that the music of Villa was universal as that of Bach, Beethoven or Brahms.”

"The Disney visit to Brazil officially concluded with the events of 7 September, Brazil’s..."

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 13:36:30 -0700

“The Disney visit to Brazil officially concluded with the events of 7 September, Brazil’s Independence Day. The morning was marked by a lengthy parade, demonstrating the massed might of Brazil’s armed forces. El Grupo turned out for the occasion, Walt watching the parade from Oswaldo Aranha’s palace. Later in the day, another kind of celebration took place at the Estadio Vasco da Gama: Heitor Villa-Lobos conducted a choral group composed of thirty thousand schoolchildren. All this was faithfully recorded on 16 mm film by Walt and Larry Lansburgh. It was an appropriately stupendous finish to an eventful three weeks in Brazil’s capital city.”

- J.B. Kaufman, Walt Disney and the Good Neighbor Program, 1941-1948, p. 41

The November 2009 issue of the Brazilian magazine Continente...

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 08:25:56 -0700

The November 2009 issue of the Brazilian magazine Continente features Villa-Lobos on the cover. Inside are three articles, by Irineu Franco Perpétuo, Leonardo Martinelli, & Carlos Eduardo Amaral (who writes the Audições Brasileiras blog.)

From this year’s Festival Villa-Lobos in Rio de Janeiro, a...

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:42:50 -0700

From this year’s Festival Villa-Lobos in Rio de Janeiro, a concert by the Coro de Câmara Pró Arte no Rio. Thanks to the Audições Brasileiras blog for this.

The biggest Festival Villa-Lobos ever!

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 09:57:33 -0700

The biggest Festival Villa-Lobos ever!

"[The concert] began with 2 more pieces by V-L - Erosion and Choros no. 9. Inexcusable - both of..."

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 19:00:21 -0700

“[The concert] began with 2 more pieces by V-L - Erosion and Choros no. 9. Inexcusable - both of them - and for the same reason: an absolutely chaotic juxtaposition of the good, bad, and indifferent. One wonders how he justifies the form to himself and to what extent he imagines he is getting away with murder.”

- Aaron Copland’s private view of Villa-Lobos’s works at the 1954 Caracas Festival was even more damning than his New York times review (see the previous quote). Copland seems to have had some issues with Villa-Lobos, though he refers to him as a “friend” on the previous page. Aaron Copland: a reader, p. 298.

"Villa-Lobos chose to present three such colorful works of his own, all sprawling in form and..."

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 15:43:31 -0700

“Villa-Lobos chose to present three such colorful works of his own, all sprawling in form and luxuriant in manner. They leave one astonished, but also quite confused. It is works like these that make Villa-Lobos the pride and despair of his Latin-American colleagues.”

- Aaron Copland, writing about the Festival in Caracas (1954) - Aaron Copland: a reader: selected writings 1923-1972, p. 121-122.

The fairly rarely-performed Third Choros, with André Cardoso...

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 18:43:10 -0600

The fairly rarely-performed Third Choros, with André Cardoso conducting the Brasil Ensemble.

"Morreu ali mesmo, no ato. Como se tivesse escolhido morrer ao som de Villa-Lobos."

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 18:28:44 -0600

“Morreu ali mesmo, no ato. Como se tivesse escolhido morrer ao som de Villa-Lobos.”

- “He died right there on the spot. As if he had chosen to die by the sound of Villa-Lobos.” From an obituary for the the Villa-Lobos copyright expert (and Villa-Lobos music lover) Henrique Gandelman, at the Brazilian music website Concerto.

A portion of “Viva Villa!”, the new exhibit at the...

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 15:49:31 -0600

A portion of “Viva Villa!”, the new exhibit at the Arquivo Nacional in Rio de Janeiro. From the RioShow website of O Globo.

A notice from the Nov. 1, 1927 issue of La Revue musicale for an...

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 14:32:00 -0600

A notice from the Nov. 1, 1927 issue of La Revue musicale for an important concert at the Salle Gaveau in Paris. This introduced to the world important works like Choros #10 and the Nonetto. 250 musicians!

"Les oeuvres qu’il a construites au moyen de ces éléments stylisés pourraient être comparées..."

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 13:30:00 -0600

“Les oeuvres qu’il a construites au moyen de ces éléments stylisés pourraient être comparées aux tableaux et aux sculptures d’un Gauguin à Tahiti.”

- Henri Prunières, in La Revue musicale, Jan. 1, 1928, p. 258. Google Translation: “The works he built using these stylized elements could be compared to paintings and sculptures of a Gauguin in Tahiti.”

The Quarteto Radamés Gnattali plays String Quartets #14 and #15...

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 17:35:00 -0600

The Quarteto Radamés Gnattali plays String Quartets #14 and #15 (along with two works by their namesake Radamés Gnattali) at the Americas Society in New York City on October 7.

Homenaje a Heitor Villa-Lobos by Anthony Ocaña - this is a...

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 09:30:10 -0600

Homenaje a Heitor Villa-Lobos by Anthony Ocaña - this is a clever and moving piece from a very talented composer and performer.

This week’s production of Villa-Lobos’s opera A...

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 12:24:00 -0600

This week’s production of Villa-Lobos’s opera A Menina das Nuvens in Belo Horizonte is one of the most important events this year. I hope pictures, reviews, and perhaps even video turn up on the web soon!

"The big-league orchestras and conductors should be playing this work. It’s massive, grown-up,..."

Sat, 19 Sep 2009 19:22:08 -0600

“The big-league orchestras and conductors should be playing this work. It’s massive, grown-up, intelligent fun.”

- Paul Ingram, on Villa-Lobos’s 10th Symphony, in his Fanfare review of the Harmonia Mundi recording (July-August 2004, p. 215)

Assobio a Jato - The Jet Whistle - has become one of...

Sat, 19 Sep 2009 18:40:00 -0600

Assobio a Jato - The Jet Whistle - has become one of Villa-Lobos’s most frequently performed works. The Adagio movement is performed by Mihkel Peäske, flute and Leho Karin, cello.

The Orquestra Filarmônica da UFPR is based at the Federal...

Fri, 18 Sep 2009 14:23:00 -0600

The Orquestra Filarmônica da UFPR is based at the Federal University of Paraná in Curitiba, Paraná. Their musical director is the composer & professor Harry Crowl.

This concert features the rarely played Sinfonietta #1, which is dedicated to Mozart.

Thanks to the Audições Brasileiras blog for this.

"Arrau’s technique is considered to be phenomenal. Villa-Lobos, the Brazilian composer, wrote..."

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 14:33:46 -0600

“Arrau’s technique is considered to be phenomenal. Villa-Lobos, the Brazilian composer, wrote a fantastically difficult piano work called ‘Rudepoema,’ which he dedicated to Artur Rubinstein. The first time Arrau saw it he played it at first sight. When Villa-Lobos heard of it, he said: ‘I will simply have to write something harder.’”

- From a story in The Canberra Times, 21 June, 1947, p. 4. I’ve never connected Claudio Arrau with Villa-Lobos; I don’t believe he recorded any VL pieces. I saw him play with the Edmonton Symphony in the early 1970s.

Looking at the score of Rudepoema, I would seriously question how well any pianist could sight-read this music.