Heitor Villa-Lobos - Piano Concertos (Cristina Ortiz)

Information

Composer: Heitor Villa-Lobos

• CD1: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2
• CD2: Piano Concertos Nos. 3, 4 & 5

Cristina Ortiz, piano

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

Miguel Gómez-Martínez, conductor

Date: 1992

Label: Decca

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Review

Villa-Lobos had already written several works for concertante piano and orchestra (notably No. 11 of the Choros and No. 3 of the Bachianas Brasileiras) before deciding, at the age of 58, to compose a piano concerto proper. 'Proper' is, of course, a relative term in speaking of so uninhibited and unpredictable a composer; and anyone looking for an orthodox concerto type will be barking up the wrong tree. True, he kept to the same overall pattern in all five of his piano concertos—four movements, with the solo cadenza (and enormously long that often is, particularly in No. 1) in the third; but though there are occasional attempts at unification by the reprise of themes, his structural procedures are essentially episodic, with constant abrupt, sometimes bewildering, changes of mood, character, rhythm and sonority, and with climaxes that burst out as unexpectedly as volcanic eruptions. This kaleidoscopic construction is colourful, often fascinating, and the sheer prodigality of his invention and his colossal energy, with extravagant textures and instrumentation, are extremely striking; but after a while, as with the gambols of a high-spirited puppy, one can't help wishing for more orderliness and less strenuous exuberance.

To those coming new to Villa-Lobos, let me suggest starting with the Fourth Concerto, which is less unruly than the others and contains more of the broad lyrical melodies (that in the finale is of distinctly Brazilian cast) which he could write when so inclined—there is also an almost Rachmaninovian one nearly 6'00'' into the first movement of the sprawling First Concerto, and an expressive cor anglais (and then cello) theme in the finale of No. 2. But for the most part this music is full of extrovert vivacity, grandiose declamation and, frequently, novel sonorities, such as those at the mysterious start of the Andante in No. 1, whose atmosphere of unearthly high strings suggesting ''the air of another planet'' is then dispelled by interjections of rude barks from the brass. It is perhaps in Villa-Lobos's quieter moments, such as the poetic musing on an Amerindian song in the Lento of No. 2, that he is most appealing: otherwise he tends to be overwhelming unless taken in small doses. Cristina Ortiz throws herself with zest into the hair-raising difficulties and cascades of notes of his piano writing and carries everything off with the right kind of imperious swagger, and the RPO respond manfully to the scores' often exorbitant technical demands (how obviously they enjoy the shattering ending of No. 2!). A set that can be warmly recommended to those with strong constitutions.

-- Lionel Salter, Gramophone

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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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Cristina Ortiz (born April 17, 1950) is a Brazilian pianist. She studied with Magda Tagliaferro in France, and with Rudolf Serkin at the Curtis Institute of Music. Ortiz won the first prize of the third edition of the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, and since then she has performed in most of the major concert halls around the world. She has recorded for EMI, Decca, BIS, Collins Classics, and Intrada, and given master classes at the Royal Academy of Music in London and the Juilliard School in New York. Even though Ortiz has been resident in Europe for many years, her Brazilian cultural heritage is still central to her music making.

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

https://www.cristina-ortiz.net/

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