Heitor Villa-Lobos - Choros Nos. 1, 4, 6, 8 & 9 (John Neschling)

Information

Composer: Heitor Villa-Lobos

1. Choros No. 6, for orchestra
2. Choros No. 1, for guitar
3. Choros No. 8, for large orchestra and 2 pianos
4. Choros No. 4, for 3 horns and trombone
5. Choros No. 9, for orchestra

Fabio Zanon, guitar

São Paulo Symphony Orchestra

John Neschling, conductor

Date: 2008

Label: BIS

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Review

The Brazillians go to town with the music of their home-grown hero

How many Chôros are there? Fourteen numbered examples (with two claimed as “lost”), two Chôros bis, a Wind Quintet en forme de Chôros and a concluding (!) choral-and-orchestral “Introduction to the Chôros”, all more or less from the 1920s. Nos 6 (1926), which opens this second volume of BIS’s survey, and 9 (1929) may not have been written down until 1942 in time for their Rio premieres. Villa-Lobos was unreliable about many details of his work and these would not be unique in his output in being created only when performances finally materialised.

Whenever it was set down, the Sixth is a hugely engaging, if sprawling, orchestral fantasia and like the Eighth (written and premiered between 1925 and 1927) and Ninth, was scored for large orchestra using exotic local percussion instruments. The Eighth is far more barbaric in character, tailored for the fad for primitivism then fashionable in Paris (where it was written), with parts for two pianos. Yet this is no concerto in disguise; although the first is a melodic soloist, the second is deployed as a percussive instrument and both orchestrally. BIS provides a clearer balance than Marco Polo on Schermerhorn’s pioneering account and while the latter still sounds fine, the newcomer is clearly superior.

Neschling and the São Paulo SO edge the decision in the Ninth too, which lies expressively between Nos 6 and 8. Separating these difficult orchestral works come the First for guitar (1920‑21) and Fourth for brass (1926). I have heard crisper performances of the latter, but Fabio Zanon’s of the well known First is really rather good, languid and wistful, the tempi vibrantly elastic. After the excellent previous volume (6/08), this successor – as well played as ASV’s still incomplete rival survey – augurs well for what will presumably be the final instalment.

-- Guy Rickards, Gramophone

More reviews:
ClassicsToday  ARTISTIC QUALITY: 10 / SOUND QUALITY: 10

https://www.musicweb-international.com/classRev/2011/Jan11/Villa-Lobos_Coros_BISCD1440_BISCD1450_BISCD1520.htm

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Heitor Villa-Lobos (March 5, 1887 – November 17, 1959) was a Brazilian composer, conductor, cellist, and classical guitarist. Described as "the single most significant creative figure in 20th-century Brazilian art music", Villa-Lobos has become the best-known South American composer of all time. A prolific composer, he wrote numerous orchestral, chamber, instrumental and vocal works, totaling over 2,000 works by his death in 1959. His music was influenced by both Brazilian folk music and stylistic elements from the European classical tradition, and is well represented on the world's recital and concert stages and on compact disc.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heitor_Villa-Lobos

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John Neschling (born May 13 1947, Rio de Janeiro) is a Brazilian conductor. He studied under Hans Swarowsky and Reinhold Schmid in Vienna, and under Leonard Bernstein and Seiji Ozawa in Tanglewood. Neschling has been music director of Teatro Nacional de São Carlos in Lisbon, Sankt Gallen Theater in Switzerland, Teatro Massimo in Palermo and the Bordeaux Opera. During the twelve years under his leadership (1997–2008), the São Paulo State Symphony became a first rate international orchestra, and recorded a series of CDs of Brazilian and international music, winning five Diapason d'Or and one Latin Grammy.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Neschling

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