Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5, for voice & 8 cellos, A. 389
Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4, for piano, A. 264
Bachianas Brasileiras No. 6, for flute & bassoon, A. 392
Bachianas Brasileiras No. 1, for 8 cellos, A. 246
The nine Bachianas Brasileiras of Heitor Villa-Lobos represent a wonderfully unique set of pieces, many of which are scored for unusual sets of instruments, that beautifully juxtapose Baroque and classical forms with vibrant Brazilian Nationalism. Such works require not only technically superior musicians, but they also posses a deep understanding of the rhythmicity and panache of the Brazilian folk idiom. The cellists of the São Paulo Symphony Orchestra possess all of these characteristics in abundance. The First and Fifth ...
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The nine Bachianas Brasileiras of Heitor Villa-Lobos represent a wonderfully unique set of pieces, many of which are scored for unusual sets of instruments, that beautifully juxtapose Baroque and classical forms with vibrant Brazilian Nationalism. Such works require not only technically superior musicians, but they also posses a deep understanding of the rhythmicity and panache of the Brazilian folk idiom. The cellists of the São Paulo Symphony Orchestra possess all of these characteristics in abundance. The First and Fifth of the Bachianas are scored for an orchestra of cellists (with a soprano in the Fifth); these two pieces test the range of the cello as well as the tone production skills of the artists performing them. This recording demonstrates all that the cello has to offer: beautiful, soaring lines in the upper registers; complex and rhythmically vital inner voices; and deep, calming lower passages. The Preludio of the First Bachianas is especially lush; intonation is generally very precise,...
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