How could you know Villa-Lobos is from Brazil?

 

Is it the flora, the parrot, the sunglasses, or the sideways 'O's in the typeface?

Really, the only thing we are missing is Michael Tilson Thomas with a snake**.

Yet, this was a high profile recording which introduced the composer to many salivating Classical Music plebes. I am sure the visualizations of the exotic enticed many to give it a try, even if it lessened the opinion of Tilson Thomas to serious listeners.

Of course, Renée Fleming was also becoming hot on the Classical Music scene, moreso having recently recorded Villa-Lobos' Forest of the Amazon.

For a completist, however, having four of the Bachianas Brasileiras and one Chôros, with no intention of continuing the series, was less than appreciable as a collector.

These aren't bad performance though. The New World Symphony may be a student ensemble academy, but they are also a fine-sounding group. But now with complete cycles of both the Bachianas Brasileiras and Chôros from BIS, featuring the the home team São Paulo players, who is this for now?

Lovers of Villa-Lobos, I assume, or at least for those who aren't sure if they want to go whole hog into the music of Villa-Lobos. After all, these compositions aren't often performed, nor recorded, even if that BIS set is a reference recording. These US performers are a little more slick than São Paulo, and Tilson Thomas adds a xylophone, but it does make these performances a little different.

**Did I mention we needed Michael Tilson Thomas with a snake? RCA to the rescue!

Listen on YouTube

Works
Bachianas Brasileiras 4 (18.37)
Bachianas Brasileiras 5 (11.02)
Bachianas Brasileiras 7 (26.57)
Bachianas Brasileiras 9 (9.37)
Chôros 10 (11.31)

Soloists
Renée Fleming, soprano
Jean Louis Steuerman, piano
Kenneth Freudigman, cello

Performers
BBC Singers
New World Symphony
Robert Minczuk, conductor

Label: BIS
Year: 2007
Total Timing: 59.23

Still a nice performance of Villa-Lobos, even if there is a complete set elsewhere.

As to the music, these are a marriage of Brazil and Bach, some favoring one over the other. I personally prefer the former over the latter, but they are interesting compositions regardless.

Find more Villa-Lobos recording HERE!