Heitor VILLA-LOBOS (1887-1959)
Symphony No. 6, On the Outline of the Mountains of Brazil (1944) [28:49]
Symphony No. 7 (1945) [39:28]
São Paulo Symphony Orchestra/Isaac Karabtchevsky
rec. 21 February-5 March 2011, Sala São Paulo, Brazil
NAXOS 8.573043 [68:18]
Heitor Villa-Lobos is probably best known for just a handful of works; the
Bachianas Brasileiras, Chôros, Momoprecoce
and several rather fetching pieces for piano solo. Adventurous listeners may
wish to leave the beaten track for something more exotic, such as The Forest
of the Amazon for soprano, chorus and orchestra (review)
and the ballets Uirapurú and The Emperor Jones (review).
The latter were a real find, and a reminder that there are still many sides
to this under-rated composer that need to be explored.
Enter Naxos, with their newly announced Villa-Lobos symphony project, of which
this is the first instalment. The São Paulo Orchestra, based in Brazil’s
second city, are led here by the Brazilian-born conductor Isaac Karabtchevsky.
His bio is impressive, with engagements both at home and abroad; as for the
orchestra - also known by the initials OSESP - they’ve recorded a number
of discs for BIS and Chandos under John Neschling and Yan Pascal Tortelier
respectively. I’ve reviewed several of them and I have to say I’ve
not been terribly impressed. Their latest offering - Strauss’s Eine
Alpensinfonie and Symphonische Fantasie aus Die Frau ohne Schatten
with veteran Frank Shipway - was particularly disappointing (review).
The orchestra made their debut at this year’s BBC Proms under their
newly appointed chief Marin Alsop. They’re certainly a committed and
enthusiastic band, and although their ‘New World’ struck me as
rather uneven it had some winning touches. Alsop is a good orchestral trainer,
and I suspect these players will benefit immensely from her tutelage. In the
meantime I’m not convinced these Brazilians have reached anything near
their full potential, although this Villa-Lobos cycle does look promising
- on paper at least.
Speaking of paper, the melodic structure of the Sixth Symphony is created
by plotting the outlines of Brazilian mountains on a piece of transparent
graph paper; Villa-Lobos allocated pitches to the vertical lines and durations
to the horizontal ones. A rather odd conceit I suppose, but no more unusual
a compositional tool than a pair of dice or a copy of the I Ching.
What of the music itself? All the symphonies - bar the Fifth, which is lost
- have already been recorded by Carl St Clair and the Stuttgart Radio Symphony
Orchestra, and are bow available in a single box from CPO. Several of the
individual discs have garnered good reviews here on MWI and elsewhere.
The Sixth Symphony is a curious affair. It starts with a swoony tune before
it builds to a series of restrained peaks; indeed, reticence seems to be the
watchword here, and Villa-Lobos uses his considerable resources sparingly.
The OSESP are in good form, and the recording is full and warm. The Lento
is particularly haunting. Karabtchevsky draws sounds of surprising subtlety
and nuance from his players; those striding bass-lines are especially well
done, the nicely proportioned climaxes much more clearly focused than they
are in that wayward Strauss recording.
The Allegretto and Allegro of the Sixth are well characterised and the rhythms
of the former are nicely sprung. That said it’s not the most memorable
music, and the end of the Allegro is somewhat crudely fashioned. Still, Villa-Lobos
makes amends with an imposing finale - the bass drum is thrilling - and Karabtchevsky
keeps this bustling music firmly under control at all times. It’s certainly
a promising start to this cycle, even if the writing is competent rather than
outstanding. No quibbles about the playing or recording though; both are splendid.
The LSO premiered the huge Seventh Symphony in 1949. As Villa-Lobos authority
Fábio Zanon points out in his lucid liner-notes, there’s much
doubling and tripling here, with two harps, a piano and a synthesiser thrown
in for good measure. What a magnificent noise they make, the Allegro presented
in breathtaking CinemaScope and vivid Technicolor. The potential for disaster
is pretty high in such a sprawling piece, but Karabtchevsky keeps up the momentum
and allows telling details and timbres to emerge from the mix. As for the
sound it’s very good, with no hint of fierceness in the treble or diffuseness
in the bass.
Once again it’s the Lento that stands out, with poised playing and lovely
sonorities. Despite the vast forces Villa-Lobos never overplays his hand,
although some may feel he doesn’t hold the best cards here. For all
its felicities this movement outstays its welcome, but the Scherzo comes to
the rescue with feisty and original writing. That said it’s also a tad
prolix, and the closing Allegro strikes me as somewhat opaque. Not Villa-Lobos
at his most inventive perhaps, but there’s no doubt this conductor,
band and recording team give their all to these symphonies.
Musically uneven but still worth hearing; augurs well for the rest of this
cycle.
Dan Morgan
http://twitter.com/mahlerei
Musically uneven but still worth hearing; augurs well for the rest of this
cycle.
see also review by Nick Barnard