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Villa-Lobos: Bachianas Brasileiras (Complete)

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Like most music-lovers, I have not paid much attention to Villa-Lobos's collection of nine works called 'Bachianas Brasileiras,' except for the extraordinarily popular No. 5 (the one for soprano voice and eight cellos) and the movement from No. 2 called 'The Little Train of the Caipira.' I had heard them cursorily (in a friend's collection) in the old EMI album, still available, called 'Villa-Lobos par lui-même,' a six-disc set with the composer conducting a French orchestra in his own works, done in the 1950s. But there has not been, as far as I know, a recent complete recording of the set. (I understand there is also one featuring a Brazilian orchestra, but I have never seen or heard it.) So, it is with great pleasure that I report that this set with the late Kenneth Schermerhorn conducting the Nashville Symphony is a real winner. It is the last thing Schermerhorn recorded before his death April 19, 2005. Indeed, Bachianas Brasileiras No. 1 had to be recorded with Andrew Mogrelia at the helm.

The nine Bachianas vary wildly in their instrumentation. No. 1 is for 'an orchestra of cellos'; No.2 is for chamber orchestra; No. 3 is for piano and orchestra; No. 4, originally for piano alone, was orchestrated in 1941 by the composer (but, oddly, its first movement is for strings alone); No. 5 is the familiar Aria and Dança for soprano and eight cellos; No. 6 is a duet for flute and bassoon alone; Nos 7 and 8 are for full orchestra, the latter a veritable concerto for orchestra; and No. 8 is for string orchestra. All the works attempt (mostly successfully) tp combine Bachian counterpoint, forms and use of dance rhythms with Brazilian folk song and dance. One hears intimations of two-part invention (No. 6), aria (several movements, including the absolutely gorgeous first movement of No. 4), fugue (several movements, including the marvelous lost movements of Nos. 7 and 9) and so on. Throughout it all is Villa-Lobos's talent for concocting delicious melodies and infectious rhythms. In the process of writing these homages to Bach he mastered manipulation of a ground bass, construction of arching forms, invention of toccata-like motoric drive.

One cannot say enough about the performances. It is true that the Nashville Symphony is not generally considered a front-line orchestra -- although they have made some smashing recordings of Schoenberg, Ives and Beethoven, among others -- and there may be some rough and ready playing in spots. Their strings, who play such an important part in the whole undertaking, sound silken and deep into their strings when necessary. The two Bachianas for cellos alone are simply gorgeous; they may not be the Berlin Philharmonic cello section, but they are darn good. The soulful solo cellist in No. 5 is Anthony La Marchina, the orchestra's principal cellist; I wonder if he is kin to long-time conductor of the Honolulu Symphony, Robert La Marchina. Rosana Lamosa, a Brazilian soprano, sings the cantilena and aria of No. 5; she is excellent but she does not erase memories of other great singers in this work: Bidu Sayão, Galina Vishnevskaya (with M. Rostropovich playing the solo cello part), Victoria de los Angeles, or Renée Fleming.

José Feghali, himself a Brazilian and a former medal winner in the Cliburn Competition, is a superb piano soloist in No. 3. Principal flutist Erik Grafton and principal bassoonist Cynthia Estill make the rather dry two-part inventions of No. 6 sound like great music. And in No. 6 Villa-Lobos conquered the problem of making an unaccompanied wind-instrument duet sound fuller than one might guess, with implied harmonies and Bachian harmonic suspensions.

The excellent booklet notes are by Richard Whitehouse. They are a fount of otherwise difficult to find information about the Bachianas. One final pedantic note: 'Bachianas' is both a singular and plural noun, so one speaks of a single Bachianas or a group of Bachianas. One occasionally (but not in this set) sees this: 'Bachiana Brasileira No. 5.' Wrong!

A strong recommendation for those who want to discover the too-rarely heard products of Villa-Lobos's love for Bach as filtered through his Brazilian sensibility.

Scott Morrison

The Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887-1959) was very prolific, composing 12 symphonies, 5 piano concertos, 17 string quartets, 14 "Choros," numerous ballets and other orchestral works, and 9 "Bachianas Brasileiras." Although Villa-Lobos' style is firmly nationalistic, his individual works are highly varied, with some pieces being highly structured while others are virtually improvisatory. Likewise, the forces employed by Villa-Lobos vary substantially. For instance, compare the 9 minute Bachianas Brasileiras No. 6 scored for flute and bassoon against the half hour long Bachianas Brasileiras No. 3 for piano and orchestra. However, the scoring of Bachianas is more uniform and the style more traditional in comparison to, say, the Choros, making them a good entry point for those unfamiliar with this composer.

You may ask "What exactly is a Bachianas Brasileiras?" Well, a Bachianas Brasileiras is a multi-movement musical form developed by Villa-Lobos in which the harmonic and contrapuntal traits of Bach are combined with elements of Brazilian music. Each Bachianas can be thought of as a Baroque suite, with each movement containing two titles; one signifying a Baroque form, such as "Toccata" or "Fugue," and a second title borrowed from Brazilian music, such as "Picapu" or "Modhinha." This combination may seem a little strange, but Villa-Lobos combines the two elements naturally. For Villa-Lobos the combination was almost logical, as the traditional music of Brazil is itself very contrapuntal.

What makes the Bachianas attractive are their consistent high level of inventiveness and variety. The tunes are memorable, while the counterpoint and orchestral coloring are highly distinctive. One of my favorites is the second Bachianas, the final movement of which is a depiction of a train chugging through the forests of Brazil. This Bachianas also features some highly memorable trombone and saxophone solos. Yet, undoubtedly the composer's favorite instrument is the cello. The first Bachianas is scored for "an orchestra of cellos" and the fifth (the most popular) is scored for soprano and eight cellos. The composer's characteristic use of this instrument throughout the set creates a sensuous atmosphere.

These works are filled with other interesting tidbits, such as the composer's incorporation of bird calls into several movements (the woodpecker in toccata of No. 3, the blacksmith bird in the chorale of No. 4, with various birds emulated by the soprano in No. 5). The movements of the works range from exciting dance pieces to lamenting arias. The aria of No. 4 is especially lovely. Another favorite is the toccata of No. 7, with its exotic sounding percussion and aggressive orchestral playing representative of improvised singing contests Villa-Lobos heard on the streets of Brazil, with a Bach-like violin line emerging from the texture.

What makes this set, in particular, a must have is the great playing by the Nashville Symphony Orchestra (especially the strings), the Naxos price, and the fact that this release constitutes the complete Bachianas. But, this isn't the only set out there. I can mention that the sound quality here blows the (very poor) sound quality of Villa-Lobos' recordings of certain of these works (dating from the 1950's) clear out of the water. The second, third and fourth Bachianas have been recently recorded by the Sao Paulo Symphony Orchestra on the BIS label. That recording is very good, and some of the playing by that orchestra slightly cleaner, although I would recommend the Naxos recording over that one, as a starting point, on the basis of completeness.

Fans of twentieth century orchestral music need not hesitate. These colorful, immediately accessible, works will give you years of listening pleasure. Get it.

CD 1: 73:10
CD 2: 40:42
CD 3: 62:22

How wonderful it is to have a fresh, new, all-digital interpretation of the great 9-piece cycle of the Bachianas Brasilieras of Villa-Lobos. We so often hear just the highlights -- the 5th, with soporano and eight cellos, and the "Little Train" of the second -- but here is a thoughtful performance of all these unusual and creative compositions combining the discipline and chromatic transitions of Bach with the untempered wildness and melodic exuberance of Brazil.

While I enjoyed the earlier recording by Alfonso Moreno and the Orquestra Filharmonica de la Ciudad de Mexico on EMI, that recording seems to have all the notes, but not all of the music -- in places it sounds heavy, mechanical, and not imbued with deep understanding of the music. This new recording is a great effort, and it's a shame that this music is so seldom programmed by the major symphony orchestras.

There are a few items I could quibble with -- I don't like the wide vibrato of soprano Rosana Lamosa in the fifth, and the bassoon sound of the unattributed player in the sixth is somewhat muffled, as if played in the French style. But these are really minor points when considered in the light of the overall performance cycle. You have the wonderful cello sound of the Modinha (2nd movement of No. 1 -- "one long sigh" as one reviewer has called it); the excellent trombone solos in the 2nd; an accurate playing of the "Little Train," not a caricature, and still perhaps the best "train" image in music; and I could go on and on.

But let's just stop here and say that this is a really wonderful addition to the Villa-Lobos literature, as well as to all music, and let's hope that others will become aware of the marvelous music of this most prolific Brazilian composer.

Heitor Villa-Lobos is probably best known for this cycle of works under the title 'Bachianas Brasileiras' and while certain of these enchanting pieces are standard repertoire ('Toccata - O Trenzinho Do Caipira' and the luxuriously gorgeous 'Cantilena' for soprano and eight celli), the remainder of this startlingly fine composition is rarely heard.

Fortunate we are, then, that Kenneth Schermerhorn and the Nashville Symphony made this complete set. The individual works are varied and disparate in orchestration, sort of a 'Concerto for Chamber Orchestra'! Each piece is never less than fascinating in rhythmic detail and structure and there are some very beautiful melodies strung throughout the cycle.

The total of twenty-nine pieces are comfortably spaced over three discs and the recorded sound is rich and warm. This is an important recording and priced at the level that it is generally affordable! Highly recommended on all levels. Grady Harp, December 05

Finally one good recording of the complete cycle of the Bachianas Brasileiras . The recording conducted by the author was the best recording available , but Villa - Lobos wasn't a good conductor .The musicality is really good, but the orchestra sounds bad in some moments and the sound is very old.After the recordings of several conductors sometimes good sometimes bad, we have here the entire cycle very well played
Bachianas Nº 1 , for cellos , was at the beginning one homage to the Preludes And Fugues by Bach, but the author wrote after the first movement.From the Preludes and Fugue now we have the structure of a Concerto. The first Bachianas is the only one condcted by Andrew Mogrelia, since Kenneth Schermerhorn died before the recording finished.Andrew Mogrelia makes a very good Bachianas , by far more musical even comparing with the one of the Cellos of the Berlin Philharmonic.
The Second Bachianas is in my opinion the best of the cycle. Villa Lobos puts the voice of the man of the "sertão" in instruments like the sax, the cello and the trombone . Is a music full of sadness, and to understand this music you must read Guimarães Rosa . The recording is amazing.
The Third Bachianas is for píano and Orchestra. Naxos had the brilliant idea to invite the excellent Brazilian pianist Feghali , to play this wonderful Music.The result is fantastic . Very slow and very clear.
The Fourth Bachianas has two version : for piano ( very well played in another Naxos CD by Sonia Rubinsky)and for Orchestra. Schermerhorn folows the modifications in the violin solo at the Prelude tha Villa Lobos did in his recording. Other fantastic version
Naxos had other fantastic idea.For the Fifth Bachianas they invited Rosana Lamosa , one of the leading Brazilian sopranos . Finally we can understand the text (the only one with a perfect Portuguese was Anna Mofo), and we have here one example of the art of one of the leading Brazilian poets : M. Bandeira .
The Sixth Bachianas is one return to the Choros. It was Written for two instruments. The soloists of the Nashville Orchestra are excellent musicians.
Bachianas 7 and 8 are by far more conservative in structure.Reflex of the involvement of Villa Lobos with the " Estado Novo" by Getulio Vargas. But the fugue of the Bachianas 7 is a good example of the inspiration of the author.
The last Bachianas was writtnen for chorus . The difficulty of this version forced the author to transcript it to Strings, and was premiered by my teacher, Eleazar de Carvalho in 1945 .
Maybe the Cycle of the Bachianas is Less important than the Cycle of the Choros , but is a very important part of the production of our most important composer.Kenneth Schermerhorn was always one admirer of Villa Lobos. His last recording is one service very useful . Now we can hear this important music well played and well recorded.

Villa-Lobos is a Brazilian composer of the 20th century who deserves more attention. There are relatively few recordings of his works. This complete recording of the 9 Bachianas Brasileiras is a rare pleasure. The Bachianas are considered some of the lighter and easier works of Villa-Lobos and are based on Bach's music. Still, they can't be considered easy listening at first. After a few hearings, however, the music grows on you and you come to realize their beauty.

Jose Feghali is a Brazilian pianist, and interprets this music with great artistic flair! The whole recording was a pleasant surprise, since I didn't expect a high level of playing from the Nashville Symphony. I highly recommend this recording as an especially good value for the price.

An excellent recording!

First of all, for those of you who do not know Villa Lobos, the Bachianas Brasieleiras are a must. Fascinating pieces of music. as their titles implies, music works inspired by Bach... incorporating the input and influence of the brazilian culture. In addition to the cultural aspect, some pieces just sound incredible and belong to the most beautiful pieces of 20th century classical music.

As for why this version? Some of you may be tempted to purchase the composer's own recording (EMI part of the Great Recordings of the Century Series). More qualified, professional reviewers have been dismissing it for a long time, not least because of the orchestra's balance. For me, the mono recording also sounds very dated.

For those of you who are looking for a modern version, this is a great choice. First, it includes all of the Bachianas, which have far more to offer to the listener than just the famous n.5. Besides n.5 I was not familiar with many of these pieces, and they have grown on me immensely. Second, I believe this recording to be very well balanced, both in terms of sound and interpretation. In particular, Cynthia Estill at bassoon is wonderful.

Last, the line notes provide wonderful hindsight into the genesis of these works.

In short, I recommend this double disc wholeheartedly.

I'm not sure why but Villa-Lobos is practically never played on classical stations here. He wrote over 1,500 songs but his homage to J.S. Bach, Bachianas Brasileiras, by any standards is a masterpiece, alternating back and forth in a dance of depressing doom and uplifting peace.

I am very, very happy with these discs. The tempi tend to be on the slow side for my taste, but only slightly. On the other hand, having lived with this set for a month or so now, and listened to it several times through, I feel like I know (and love) these pieces better than I ever have before, and understand how they relate to each other. My only experience with the Bachianas previously was the 1950's French version conducted by Villa-Lobos, and I don't think they were available as a complete set. Compared to those versions, the modern recording technique used here lets you hear all the different parts MUCH more clearly; there were entire parts, especially in the low strings and woodwinds, that I simply couldn't hear before. There were also several gems I hadn't heard before. I recommend this set wholeheartedly; for the price it is a huge value.