Essentially, Villa-Lobos takes instrumental works, often keyboard-based, from famous composers - Bach, Schumann, Mendelssohn, Schubert, Chopin, Rachmaninov, Massenet, and Beethoven, then arranges them for choir.
While there are a couple he sets to words, most of his arrangements are non-lexical adaptations. In other words, the choir sings primarily on oohs, aahs, amidst other vowels and syllables. This style reminds me strongly of the Swingle Singers, particularly the many Preludes and Fugues of Bach Villa-Lobos chooses to adapt, but without Ward Swingle's jazzy slant.
This program is certainly an interesting concept, and provides the listener yet another dimension of Villa-Lobos the musician and educator.
The finest transcriptions for chorus here are the Romantic Era ones, particularly the Mendelssohn. There is a little more expressivity afforded these pieces opposed to the motoric Bach fugues, beautiful as they are.
Because these are all a cappella choral settings, the difficulty for a vocal ensemble is high. Transferring instruments to voice presents all sorts of problems for the singer - extreme ranges, multi-divisi textures requiring iron-lunged sustaining qualities, not to mention independence of textures. There are also some interpretive dangers, especially where I sense some eye-winking humor in the Chopin and Rachmaninov songs, which certain listeners might chuff at.
Naxos chooses the São Paulo choir, a larger symphonic-sized ensemble. This allows the singers to be able to sustain those Romantic long lines, but is invariably top heavy due to the sheer difficulty quotient and wide singing ranges. Overall, though, the ensemble is well balanced, even if the empty São Paulo Hall shows its acoustic space uncomfortably once in a while, and the sopranos can be a bit heavy of vibrato at their extremes, particularly in the more complex writing of Bach.
Otherwise, this is a fun recording and an interesting bit of history of Brazil's music education system with Villa-Lobos in charge.
Listen on YouTube
Performers
São Paulo Symphony Choir
Valentina Peleggi, conductor
Label: Naxos
Year: 2021
Total Timing: 58.32
A fun one, although there may be a little too much Swingle Singers for the serious listener.
These are ably handled by the São Paulo Symphony Choir and its director Valentina Peleggi, though.
A gem from Brazil.
Find more Villa-Lobos recordings HERE!
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