Opinions sought on Villa-Lobos box sets

[Seán]

I have to confess that even after all these years of listening to music that I am not familiar with any of the music of the Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos. When seeking out the recorded works of composers new to me I usually start with orchestral recordings. This time I am considering getting one of the two box sets that are currently available. The first one is on the superb CPO label and contains all of the symphonies



The performances are by
Lothar Odinius, Henryk Böhm, Jürgen Linn,
SWR Vocal Ensemble Stuttgart,
RSO Stuttgart,
Carl St. Clair - conducting

The second set is on Naxos, the cycle is incomplete as the Fifth Symphony is not included:


The performances are by
Leonardo Neiva & Saulo Javan,
Sao Paulo Symphony Choir,
Sao Paulo Symphony Orchestra,
Isaac Karabtchevsky - conducting

I am wondering if you are familiar with these recordings and if so would you recommend that I buy either one of them?

[Modernistfan]

Both sets are missing the Fifth Symphony. It is lost, if Villa-Lobos ever even completed it. You may as well get the Naxos.

[Danny]

I bought his complete set of string quartets years ago:

https://www.allmusic.com/album/release/ ... 0002131786

and found them enjoyable.

[maestrob]

Good morning, Sean.

I have had the CPO set since it came out: my nephew plays French horn in the Pacific Symphony, so I am naturally prejudiced in its favor. I have not yet heard the Naxos, but my instincts tell me that it is probably excellent as well.

[barney]

I've posted this before, but I remind you all again of the famous quote by Igor Stravinsky, who asked why it was that whenever he heard music he didn't like it was always by Villa-Lobos.

[slofstra]

Have you looked into the Bachianas Brasileiras? I understand these to be his most widely performed orchestral work. I have this set, but it's been quite a while since I've listened to it, and have nothing definitive to say. If I find time to listen later I will update my post. (I have had problems copying the image of the CD. However, this link provides a number of reviews as well. The recording is by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra with Enrique Batiz as conductor.)


https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B000UZ4F10?ref ... RS1YHGZ39Q


A couple of extracts from the reviews:


"What brilliant music this is, given in very good performances."


"I was left knowing I would be sneaking into the furtherest charity shop to leave this hidden under the box of second hand bow ties."


As you can see, there is a full range of listener responses.

[maestrob]

There are two complete sets of the Bachianas Brasilieras that I'm aware of. One is contained in an EMI box conducted by Batiz, and the other is with the Nashville Symphony featuring pianist Jose Feghali, a Cliburn competition winner much talked about in these pages recently. Both are excellent, IMHO.





Villa Lobos also recorded much of his own music in France for EMI, but those are in mono sound and are a bit dated sonically from the early 1950's. The highlight of that set in Victoria De Los Angeles singing #5.

Here's the original LP...



....and the CD box set "Par lui-meme" (by himself) from EMI/France.

[slofstra]

I believe that the de los Angeles vocal performance mentioned is included in the EMI Icons set, which is well worth getting on its merits generally.

[Modernistfan]

There is another box set worth mentioning, on the Bis label, with the complete Villa-Lobos Bachianas Brasileiras and Choros, with the Sao Paulo Symphony Orchestra (7 CDs for the price of 3)

[slofstra]

There are two complete sets of the Bachianas Brasilieras that I'm aware of. One is contained in an EMI box conducted by Batiz, and the other is with the Nashville Symphony featuring pianist Jose Feghali, a Cliburn competition winner much talked about in these pages recently. Both are excellent, IMHO.

I had a chance yesterday to give the first CD of this set a spin. I believe that include the first 3 Bachianas. Think Latin music with brass using various Bachian forms, but not rising to the level of inventiveness and musical appeal found in Bach's music. That comment may be a bit unfair on a single listen, but one senses that folk forms are struggling with a limited polyphony in this music. At its worst, the music sounds like the background for a western movie but this kind of a western:




This is a kind of program music, and that's one image, not representative of the music generally. I don't mean to mock it, and if anything, 'western movies' speak to my personal limited experience more than anything.
I think of Villa-Lobos music as being an important part of my collection, but it's not something I have returned to all that often. I should play that first CD a few more times and see if I can get more from it.

[maestrob]

Quite!

I find Villa-Lobos enjoyable, but not very profound, but a good performance of "Momoprecoce" can really get the my ears perked up. I'll post that piece in just a moment for your perusal.

Here it is:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mjQGiqm1U8

[slofstra]

Quite!

I find Villa-Lobos enjoyable, but not very profound, but a good performance of "Momoprecoce" can really get the my ears perked up. I'll post that piece in just a moment for your perusal.

Here it is:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mjQGiqm1U8

"Enjoyable, but not profound" is a good way to express it. As I listened I thought that a good stereo system shows the music to good effect. Play a bit on the loud side.

Do you prefer the Sao Paulo Symphony in this music? Naxos has quite a range of Villa-Lobos recordings with that orchestra, but Prokofiev is also well represented.

The background of Isaac Karabtchevsky, the conductor on many of these recordings, is quite interesting. (Note the 'English' button on this page, just in case your Portuguese is not up to par.)
http://www.karabtchevsky.com.br/biography

[Modernistfan]

Karabtchevsky is an excellent conductor of Brazilian music, including, but not limited to Villa-Lobos. He was actually born in Sao Paulo, even if his name suggests Shklov more than it suggests Sao Paulo.

[Rach3]

His 5 piano concertos, Cristina Ortiz,pianist, on Decca London.

Just a single Naxos cd , but his complete works for solo guitar, Norbert Kraft.

Both excellent.

[Rach3]

His 5 piano concertos, Cristina Ortiz,pianist, on Decca London.

Just a single Naxos cd , but his complete works for solo guitar, Norbert Kraft.

Kraft: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LyBtlFY ... ZdX7CmGusc

Some of Ortiz: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jc6v-bO-dss