Villa-Lobos Anyone?

Started by bvy, March 01, 2008, 03:33:40 PM

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kyjo

Quote from: Symphonic Addict on December 13, 2019, 01:59:07 PM
Yes, the Concertos don't belong to his strong output, but his chamber music and tone poems do.

I recall the Cello Concerto no. 2 being quite good.
"Music is enough for a lifetime, but a lifetime is not enough for music" - Sergei Rachmaninoff

71 dB

Just listened to the Naxos disc of chamber music  (Mobius / 8.557765)

I like this stuff.  8) The Naxos disc is very good. Well performed and recorded.

[asin]B000FVQUSK[/asin]

Quote from: Daverz on December 13, 2019, 09:35:58 PM
I remember liking the Piano Concertos well enough (the Ortiz recordings).  I also really enjoy some of the symphonies.  I do agree with MI about the tone poems he mentions.  An oddly neglected part of VL's output

[asin] B0000045WS[/asin]

As good as those old Marco Polo discs were, imagine what Chandos could do with that music.

Unfortunately that disc is pricy: What the sellers are asking for it is obscene.
Spatial distortion is a serious problem deteriorating headphone listening.
Crossfeeders reduce spatial distortion and make the sound more natural
and less tiresome in headphone listening.

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Symphonic Addict

Quote from: kyjo on December 14, 2019, 09:38:20 AM
I recall the Cello Concerto no. 2 being quite good.

I had overlooked it. It's fine indeed. The Concertos for cello are the ones I enjoy the most.
Part of the tragedy of the Palestinians is that they have essentially no international support for a good reason: they've no wealth, they've no power, so they've no rights.

Noam Chomsky

Christo

Quote from: kyjo on December 14, 2019, 09:38:20 AM
I recall the Cello Concerto no. 2 being quite good.
Absolutely, one of my favourite LPs - in the LP era, before you were born  8) - was an unlikely one with the Vienna State Opera Orchestra (what's in a name) under one Gustav Meier and cello player Aldo Parisot, yet completely inspired at the right moment when they were recording two of the finest celli concerti I know, both the Concerto for cello and orchestra No. 2 by Villa-Lobos and the even finer Choros - this recording being the finest, though I'm forced to satisfy myself with the only recording nowadays available, the one with Carlos Prieto - by Camargo Guarnieri, the only Brasilian composer surpassing even the great Villa-Lobos IMHO.  :)
 
... music is not only an 'entertainment', nor a mere luxury, but a necessity of the spiritual if not of the physical life, an opening of those magic casements through which we can catch a glimpse of that country where ultimate reality will be found.    RVW, 1948

Daverz

#324
Quote from: 71 dB on December 14, 2019, 09:42:00 AM
Unfortunately that disc is pricy: What the sellers are asking for it is obscene.

Naxos should reissue them.  In the meantime, Presto lists one two of the discs available on CD and the others have lossless downloads:

https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/search?search_query=villa-lobos+duarte

Symphonic Addict

Quote from: Maestro267 on December 14, 2019, 12:04:33 AM
I did not even know those discs existed. Fantastic!

Looks like you're a bit outdated.  ;)
Part of the tragedy of the Palestinians is that they have essentially no international support for a good reason: they've no wealth, they've no power, so they've no rights.

Noam Chomsky

Mirror Image

#326
Quote from: Christo on December 14, 2019, 12:10:47 AM
Agreed, one of the finest IMHO an unknown gem called O Papagaio do Moleque (Episódio Sinfônico) (1932), here on Youtube:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXmOXC3KkTU

Also on this disc, directed by Villa-Lobos himself:


 

Yep, that's a great little work and it can be found in great audio via this Naxos recording:



There are gems scattered through Villa-Lobos' oeuvre that deserve a mention like this one titled Chanson de cristal which is found here in an arrangement for flute and harp via a Naxos recording with the chamber ensemble, Mobius (a GREAT disc):

https://www.youtube.com/v/kV8Hz2FFxxo

The original arrangement of Chanson de cristal for voice and piano:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjke8RzoQg4

Mirror Image

#327
Quote from: ritter on November 30, 2019, 11:07:44 AM
I enjoy quite a few of Villa-Lobos's works, but IIRC found Discovery of Brazil downright awful when I listened to it some years ago, in the composer's recording included in this set:

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That set is terrible, Rafael. The audio quality is horrendous and I don't really believe that Villa-Lobos was the best interpreter of his works unlike several other composers who had turned to recording some of their own music.

Mirror Image

#328
Quote from: kyjo on December 14, 2019, 09:38:20 AM
I recall the Cello Concerto no. 2 being quite good.

It is. The ending of the second movement, Molto andante cantabile, is absolute magic.

Roasted Swan

I like Villa-Lobos, not unreservedly, not everything but much of his music I enjoy.  But if ever there was proof that writing a successful piece of Musical Theatre is HARD - Magdalena is it.  Such a disappointingly generic piece of hokum blown out of the water by any number of other contemporary shows.  Sorry Heitor!

Mirror Image

Quote from: Roasted Swan on March 05, 2020, 10:00:15 AM
I like Villa-Lobos, not unreservedly, not everything but much of his music I enjoy.  But if ever there was proof that writing a successful piece of Musical Theatre is HARD - Magdalena is it.  Such a disappointingly generic piece of hokum blown out of the water by any number of other contemporary shows.  Sorry Heitor!

Well, this wasn't one of the composer's strengths and I certainly won't deny it, but I love him for his risk-taking even if you or anyone else may think the risk wasn't worth the trouble. From what I've heard of Magdalena there seems to be some good parts to it, but I would never claim it was one of his most inspired pieces. I think one of the problems that comes from writing so much music is that there's always going to be some weeds amongst the flowers. That's just the way it is, but, for me, and forgive me if I sound like a 'fan boy' or whatever the kids call over zealous fans these days, but I think he still was remarkably consistent throughout his oeuvre or, at least, of the large swarth of music I've heard from him through the years. Am I aware of his weaknesses? Absolutely, but do I really care? Not really, because, for me, he played to his strengths more times than letting his weaknesses show. Anyway, it seems the older I get, the more his music just connects with me more and more.

Mirror Image

#331
Does everyone here remember the first Villa-Lobos work you heard? For me, it must have been the Guitar Concerto. I think I remember hearing this work (only an excerpt of it) on our local college radio 11 or 12 years ago and what was great was back during this time the radio station had a classical music program. Anyway, I remember the host saying that was the first movement of Villa-Lobos' Guitar Concerto. And I remember thinking, "Villa-who?" ;D This was the initial seed that was planted and when I got home I bought the Julian Bream recording of the concerto plus some of his solo guitar pieces and my Villa-Lobos journey began.

Christo

Quote from: Mirror Image on March 05, 2020, 07:10:18 PM
Does everyone here remember the first Villa-Lobos work you heard? For me, it must have been the Guitar Concerto. I think I remember hearing this work (only an excerpt of it) on our local college radio 11 or 12 years ago and what was great was back during this time the radio station had a classical music program. Anyway, I remember the host saying that was the first movement of Villa-Lobos' Guitar Concerto. And I remember thinking, "Villa-who?" ;D This was the initial seed that was planted and when I got home I bought the Julian Bream recording of the concerto plus some of his solo guitar pieces and my Villa-Lobos journey began.

For me it was the Guitar Concerto too, but back in the 1970s. Probably played by John Williams, should check his recordings. The other piece that struck me in those days being the Bachianas brasileiras No. 5 for soprano and strings. I thought I didn't like screaming sopranos, but there was this heavenly piece and couldn't stop listening.  ???

Quote from: Mirror Image on March 04, 2020, 08:58:17 PM
Yep, that's a great little work and it can be found in great audio via this Naxos recording:



Many thanks, had missed it, ordered for a copy now. O papagaio do moleque one of those pieces I heard back in the 1970s too, when I started discovering Villa-Lobos. Our local library owned a series of Brasilian LPs (that never made it onto CD) this gem, perhaps his fines symphonic poem, including. Played by different Brasilian orchestras and conductors, cannot remember who (I was a teenager, please teacher).
... music is not only an 'entertainment', nor a mere luxury, but a necessity of the spiritual if not of the physical life, an opening of those magic casements through which we can catch a glimpse of that country where ultimate reality will be found.    RVW, 1948

Roasted Swan

Quote from: Mirror Image on March 05, 2020, 07:10:18 PM
Does everyone here remember the first Villa-Lobos work you heard? For me, it must have been the Guitar Concerto. I think I remember hearing this work (only an excerpt of it) on our local college radio 11 or 12 years ago and what was great was back during this time the radio station had a classical music program. Anyway, I remember the host saying that was the first movement of Villa-Lobos' Guitar Concerto. And I remember thinking, "Villa-who?" ;D This was the initial seed that was planted and when I got home I bought the Julian Bream recording of the concerto plus some of his solo guitar pieces and my Villa-Lobos journey began.

For sure - "The Little Train of the Caipira" which is the filler on this disc which I bought for the Ginastera/Estancia because we were playing that in our youth orchestra - loved the whole disc! (still sounds good on CD)



The original LP only had the Ginastera + the "little train".  At the time pretty archetypal awful Everest LP pressing!

Maestro267

Yeah, the "little train" for me as well. On some compilation of random stuff, long since gone. Then I picked up a recording of the complete-ish Bachianas about 11 years ago, and it started from there. 3 years after that, I stumbled upon the first volume of the Naxos symphony cycle and started following along that with each new release.

Biffo

I am pretty sure it was Bachianas brasileiras  No 5 though the Little Train (BB No 2) was on the first Villa-Lobos disc I bought, a compilation on HMV Classics.

As an aside, does anyone have a recommendation for Symphony No 10?. Several versions have been mentioned but not all of them seem to be available.

71 dB

I have to say only a part (20 % or so) of Villa-Lobos does it for me. Not that I don't "like" all of it, but most of it feels a bit bland to me. Especially the symphonies are disappointing. For me Villa-Lobos is a hit and miss composer and it took a long time before I realized it.

Spatial distortion is a serious problem deteriorating headphone listening.
Crossfeeders reduce spatial distortion and make the sound more natural
and less tiresome in headphone listening.

My Sound Cloud page <-- NEW Jan. 2024 "Harpeggiator"

71 dB

Quote from: Mirror Image on March 05, 2020, 07:10:18 PM
Does everyone here remember the first Villa-Lobos work you heard?

Must have been Bachiana Brasileiras No. 5.
Spatial distortion is a serious problem deteriorating headphone listening.
Crossfeeders reduce spatial distortion and make the sound more natural
and less tiresome in headphone listening.

My Sound Cloud page <-- NEW Jan. 2024 "Harpeggiator"

Mirror Image

Quote from: Christo on March 05, 2020, 10:08:04 PM
For me it was the Guitar Concerto too, but back in the 1970s. Probably played by John Williams, should check his recordings. The other piece that struck me in those days being the Bachianas brasileiras No. 5 for soprano and strings. I thought I didn't like screaming sopranos, but there was this heavenly piece and couldn't stop listening.  ???

Many thanks, had missed it, ordered for a copy now. O papagaio do moleque one of those pieces I heard back in the 1970s too, when I started discovering Villa-Lobos. Our local library owned a series of Brasilian LPs (that never made it onto CD) this gem, perhaps his fines symphonic poem, including. Played by different Brasilian orchestras and conductors, cannot remember who (I was a teenager, please teacher).

Very nice, Johan. I would say there's many of the tone poems that I fantastic in addition to O papagaio do moleque like Erosão, Rudá, Urapuru, Gênesis, Amazonas, amongst other works.

Mirror Image

Quote from: Roasted Swan on March 05, 2020, 11:02:15 PM
For sure - "The Little Train of the Caipira" which is the filler on this disc which I bought for the Ginastera/Estancia because we were playing that in our youth orchestra - loved the whole disc! (still sounds good on CD)



The original LP only had the Ginastera + the "little train".  At the time pretty archetypal awful Everest LP pressing!

Very nice. I do believe I own that CD --- it's been ages since I've heard it, though.