Heitor Villa-Lobos
Complete Choros & Bachianas Brasileiras (7 CDs)
São Paulo Symphony Orchestra; Choir of the São Paulo
Symphony Orchestra; Various conductors and soloists; BIS
While Villa-Lobos’ Bachianas Brasileiras series may be better known or more popular
(at least in part), his Choros pieces are just as fine—and perhaps richer in content, even if looser in structure. Indeed, Nos. 6, 8 and 9 rank among his largest and most extravagant orchestral works, and their neglect on concert programs really is astonishing. No. 1 is a lovely guitar solo, while No. 4 is scored for the unusual combination of three horns and trombone. It’s high time that a label decided to record the entire sequence, and the results are exceptional. This is also the Bachianas Brasileiras cycle of choice.
The São Paulo Symphony Orchestra certainly ought to know how to play this music,
and do they ever! The music needs more than just a feel for the idiom: it needs to be splendidly played and recorded, which fortunately is the case here. This music is hugely fun and full of timbres and textures that you’ll find nowhere else. Even if you know these works well, it’s like hearing them for the first time.
—David Hurwitz / ClassicsToday.com
