Alma Brasileira- Music of Villa-Lobos ~ Fleming, Tilson Thomas, New World Symphony

Renée Fleming (Artist), Damon Coleman (Artist), Kenneth Freudigman (Artist), Eran Meir (Artist), Brad Ritchie (Artist), Pamela Smits (Artist), Heitor Villa-Lobos (Composer), Michael Tilson Thomas (Conductor), New World Symphony (Orchestra), BBC Singers (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: BBC Singers
• Orchestra: New World Symphony
• Conductor: Michael Tilson Thomas
• Composer: Heitor Villa-Lobos
• Audio CD (January 14, 1997)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: RCA
• ASIN: B000003G45
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #35,002 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #5 in Music > Classical > Opera & Vocal > Divas > Fleming, Renée
  • #22 in Music > Classical > Opera & Vocal > Featured Performers, A-Z > C to G
  • #33 in Music > Classical > Historical Periods > Modern, 20th, & 21st Century > Composers > Villa-Lobos, Heitor

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Orchestrals sonorous, but...Renee not well-suited, October 1, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Alma Brasileira- Music of Villa-Lobos ~ Fleming, Tilson Thomas, New World Symphony (Audio CD)

The orchestral selections are rich, spacious, and sonorous...they hold the attention consistently and happily. The CD is well worth its price for those alone.

But, Renee Fleming is not suited for the music in her Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5. The top-most notes get thin and screechy...and the humming section is pinched, pale, and puny -- not pleasant. I am a Renee Fleming admirer of the very first order....but, my "love" is not unconditional, and in this case...if asked, I would have advised her to avoid it.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brazilian Classical Music, October 23, 2005

By 

Brett A. Kniess (Madison, WI) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Alma Brasileira- Music of Villa-Lobos ~ Fleming, Tilson Thomas, New World Symphony (Audio CD)

I find it very interesting that Heitor Villa-Lobos could so easily equate Brazilian folk music with that of J.S. Bach. All the more interesting are his "tributes to Bach in a Brazilian style". Each of the Bachianas Brasileiras are scored differently, and in many cases, there are many versions of the same work. This disk features four of the Bachianas Brasileiras and one setting of the Choros, Number 10.

Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4 is very thickly textured for the entire orchestra. Percussion and use of brass give the Brazilian feel while the form and many of the progressions give the feel of Bach. Villa-Lobos will often use an actual Brazilian folk melody, but make sure its archetypal shape is Baroque or he will put the melody into a "Bachian" technique. The dance rhythms, however, are Brazilian through and through. No. 5 is scored for multi-divisi cello parts and solo soprano. Only two movemnts long, the 1st is very much a vocalise with is monosyllabic melody. Contrasting, the 2nd movement is more like a patter song. Renee Fleming has a naturally beautiful and resonant voice. She does change the final note from the written C5 to high C6. No. 7's movements are labelled with Baroque forms: Preludio, Giga, Tocata, and Fuga. Like No. 4, it is scored for full orchestra using the same techniques. Villa-Lobos' last contribution of Bachianas Brasileiras, No. 9, is a prelude and fugue. Scored for string orchestra, this one evokes Bach the clearest of all.

Choros No. 10 for orchestra, piano, a battery of Brazilian percussion, and chorus is a bit of a different work. The sound is not so romantic, but revels in using dissonance in nearly a Stravinskian manner. Driving tribal rhythms, virtousic passages for individual instruments, and inclusion of a "tribal" chanting chorus make this a miniature magnum opus.

It is hopeful that with this successful recording, that more Villa-Lobos music will become standard fare. The New World Symphony exploit the exoticism and Neo-Baroque/Romanticism fo the works with pinache. The music is very approachable and fun.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bacchianas Brasileiras at their best, June 18, 2005

By 

P. Alvarez "vivaldi116" (Killeen, Texas United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Alma Brasileira- Music of Villa-Lobos ~ Fleming, Tilson Thomas, New World Symphony (Audio CD)

I really see no problem with this recording, I bought it several years ago, and I think is wonderfully performed
music. Tilson Thomas does a great job with the New World
Symphony Orchestra and soprano Renee Fleming. My favorites are the Bacchianas Brasileiras #5 "ALMA BRASILEIRA" and #7 with its fuga that sounds so much like Bach....