Villa-Lobos Anyone?

[Mirror Image]

Ordered through the link above.  Thanks for pointing that low price out.  I haven't been able to find cheaper anywhere.  And I know cheap!

Hope GMG gets a commission!

Awesome! Glad you jumped on this deal. It won't last forever!

[Daverz]

Working thru the symphony series with the Sao Paulo Symphony on Naxos.  The symphonies are entertaining, by my favorite so far is their recording of Uiraparu, which is the best I've heard.

[asin]B00U2OT3IE[/asin]

[snyprrr]

Working thru the symphony series with the Sao Paulo Symphony on Naxos.  The symphonies are entertaining, by my favorite so far is their recording of Uiraparu, which is the best I've heard.

[asin]B00U2OT3IE[/asin]

It looks like all the Late Symphonies are out (sorry, getting late to the game). Which are your fav of 7-12?

[Mirror Image]

Working thru the symphony series with the Sao Paulo Symphony on Naxos.  The symphonies are entertaining, by my favorite so far is their recording of Uiraparu, which is the best I've heard.

[asin]B00U2OT3IE[/asin]

I'm a hardcore Villa-Lobos fan as my previous posts in this thread will indicate, but I cannot for the life of me out why I don't enjoy the symphonies more than I do. The 4th, 6th, and 10th are my favorites, but, with the exception of the SQs, I believe he works better in freer forms like the Choros or Bachianas Brasileiras series for example. When you try to 'cage' mist, it simply escapes as it can't be contained. I feel the same way about V-L.

[snyprrr]

I'm a hardcore Villa-Lobos fan as my previous posts in this thread will indicate, but I cannot for the life of me out why I don't enjoy the symphonies more than I do. The 4th, 6th, and 10th are my favorites, but, with the exception of the SQs, I believe he works better in freer forms like the Choros or Bachianas Brasileiras series for example. When you try to 'cage' mist, it simply escapes as it can't be contained. I feel the same way about V-L.

Well, I listened to about three minutes of the openings of Symphonies 6-12, excluding 10. Yea, not as impressed this time around... No.8 started with the most difference, but I couldn't tell you now what is what. Thankfully, I can skip that RabbitHole fr now.

[Maestro267]

Ordered my first disc of Chôros, on the BIS label: No. 5 for piano, No. 7 for septet and No. 11 for piano and orchestra.

[San Antone]

I listen mainly to the string quartets and the works for guitar.  I am not much of an orchestral music fan, so I've bypassed that part of his output, but thoroughly enjoy the solo and chamber works I've heard. 

Next up, the solo piano music.

[Maestro267]

I think I'm beginning to get a grip on why I find a lot of chamber music doesn't grab me; it's because many standard ensembles involve instruments in the same family, the string quartet for example. There's not much variety in sounds. But I'm starting to find chamber music scored for more interesting varieties of instruments, mixtures of winds and strings, with piano and/or percussion involved too.

Some of the Chôros, for instance, are scored for small ensembles, but with more variety. For example, No. 7 is scored for flute, oboe, clarinet, alto saxophone, bassoon, violin, cello and an offstage tam-tam (ad lib.)

[Mirror Image]

Ordered my first disc of Chôros, on the BIS label: No. 5 for piano, No. 7 for septet and No. 11 for piano and orchestra.

Very nice! Chôros No. 11 is a massive 'piano concerto' a la Busoni sans the choir. I hope you decide to get all of those BIS recordings. Do you already know the Bachianas Brasileiras?

[71 dB]

I have to say Bachianas Brasileiras is my favorite Villa-Lobos. I listened to Nos. 1-3 today (EMI/Bátiz). No. 3 rules.  0:)

[vandermolen]

I have to say Bachianas Brasileiras is my favorite Villa-Lobos. I listened to Nos. 1-3 today (EMI/Bátiz). No. 3 rules.  0:)

I've been listening a lot to Symphony 3 'War' and No.4 'Victory' recently. These are my favourites.

[Maestro267]

Very nice! Chôros No. 11 is a massive 'piano concerto' a la Busoni sans the choir. I hope you decide to get all of those BIS recordings. Do you already know the Bachianas Brasileiras?

I'm definitely going to get the other BIS recordings, eventually. I've been looking at them for a while, as they're the only "complete" set of the Chôros.

And yes, I do have all 9 Bachianas Brasileiras. They were the first HVL works I heard. A few years ago, I picked up the Batiz set, which also includes Momoprecoce (another piano/orchestra work) and the Guitar Concerto. Part of me would be interested to hear the original/alternate versions of No.4 (for solo piano) and No. 9 (for choir), but this Batiz set is more than covering for me atm.

[kyjo]

I've been listening a lot to Symphony 3 'War' and No.4 'Victory' recently. These are my favourites.

I like no. 6 "On the Outline of the Mountains of Brazil" very much. Apparently Villa-Lobos actually traced the outline of a mountain range onto a piece of graph paper and let it determine the melodic contour of the music! Thankfully, the effect doesn't end up sounding contrived at all. I don't know most of V-L's other symphonies very well, a situation which I hope to rectify!

[vandermolen]

I like no. 6 "On the Outline of the Mountains of Brazil" very much. Apparently Villa-Lobos actually traced the outline of a mountain range onto a piece of graph paper and let it determine the melodic contour of the music! Thankfully, the effect doesn't end up sounding contrived at all. I don't know most of V-L's other symphonies very well, a situation which I hope to rectify!

I must give No.6 another listen to. I have a recording on Naxos.

[Maestro267]

Apparently Villa-Lobos actually traced the outline of a mountain range onto a piece of graph paper and let it determine the melodic contour of the music!

Thus pre-empting John Cage's similar technique when composing Atlas Eclipticalis by some 16 years or so.

[Symphonic Addict]

The other day I was listening to the 7th SQ. Needless to say it was fantastic with an exciting and memorable peroration. IIRC all of them share that greatness, though the first quartets are more tonal with lots of folk music influence, therefore they are very tuneful and cheerful.

[Mirror Image]

I'm definitely going to get the other BIS recordings, eventually. I've been looking at them for a while, as they're the only "complete" set of the Chôros.

And yes, I do have all 9 Bachianas Brasileiras. They were the first HVL works I heard. A few years ago, I picked up the Batiz set, which also includes Momoprecoce (another piano/orchestra work) and the Guitar Concerto. Part of me would be interested to hear the original/alternate versions of No.4 (for solo piano) and No. 9 (for choir), but this Batiz set is more than covering for me atm.

This could be looked at as a grand statement, but I believe the Chôros to be Villa-Lobos' greatest achievement. Everything that's remarkable about the composer is found within these works.

[Maestro267]

I have to say, even if the symphonies are not quite as unique as works like the Bachianas Brasileiras or the Chôros, they are still absolutely sound very much like Villa-Lobos.

[71 dB]

I listened to the rest of the Bachinas Brasileiras.  I had not listened to these works for years (15 maybe)! Revisiting these was exciting! It was discovering music long lost. My favorites of these are 3, 4 and 7. Then 5, 2 and 1 and finally 6, 8 and 9 are the weakest, as if Villa-Lobos lost his touch with the later ones. The Guitar Concerto on the Batiz set is boring...

It seems most Villa-Lobos isn't really my thing, but those few compositions that are are wonderful. No wonder I have lost interest when exploring outside Bachinas Brasileiras and even out of those it's really 3, 4 and 7... ...i think Villa-Lobos is a brilliant emotional composer, but not a great intellectual composer.

[vers la flamme]

I always see the Mike Tilson Thomas CD of Villa-Lobos Bachianas at the local record shop, the one with the cheesy cover with the conductor holding a parrot. I'm growing a little interest in Villa-Lobos (I just ordered his complete guitar music on Naxos) and I'm wondering if this MTT disc would be a good place to start with his orchestral music. Should I? Or should I hold out for the Naxos CDs with the Bachianas/Choros, or the BIS issues, or whatever else? Bear in mind that I am a total newcomer to this composer.