Classic Ross Amico

Tag: Brazil

Bidu Sayão Comic Brazil’s Opera Superhero

Who really cares about Batman or Wolverine? Since we’re all basically living in the tropics anymore anyway, here’s a comic book about Bidu Sayão. Thrill to the adventures of Brazil’s most famous operatic soprano!

You have to scroll down to the bottom of Bruce Duffie’s interview to see a more complete spread.

https://www.bruceduffie.com/sayao.html

Sayão was a great champion of the music of her compatriot, Heitor Villa-Lobos. Here she is, in Villa-Lobos’ “Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5,” with the composer conducting.

Later, she came out of retirement to sing Villa-Lobos’ “Forests of the Amazon.” You can hear some of it at the end of these selections from some of her signature roles (Manon, Juliette, and Mimi). There’s even a Brazilian folk song tossed into the mix.

She’s heavenly in Debussy’s “La Damoiselle élue,” after Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s “The Blessed Damozel,” recorded here with Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra.

And “Si mes vers avaient des ailes” (“If my verses had wings,” text by Victor Hugo), by Venezuelan-born French composer Reynaldo Hahn.

Once she established herself at New York’s Metropolitan Opera, Sayão had the good sense to make her home in the cooler clime of Lincolnville, Maine.

Her comic book dates from the 1940s. I’m hoping for a Jack Kirby-style cover, complete with Bidu punching out Hitler.

August 5, 2024
Brazil Song Story From Rio to Disney

The fascinating story behind the song “Brazil,” which I had always assumed was a pastiche written by a North American:

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

Sung by Francisco de Morais Alves (1939):

Disney’s take (with a special bonus on the soundtrack of “Tico-Tico”):

José do Patrocinio Oliveira, also known as Zé Carioca, the real-life José Carioca:

Oliveira was part of Carmen Miranda’s circle:

August 6, 2016
Olympic Music Fever on WPRB

This morning on WPRB, we are consumed by OLYMPIC FEEEEEEEEEEEE-VAH! Or maybe it’s just the Zika virus. It’s hard to tell, as we celebrate the Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro.

We’ll hear Olympic fanfares and occasional music composed by Leo Arnaud, Angelo Badalamenti, Robin Frost, Philip Glass, Basil Poledouris, Richard Strauss (his notorious “Olympic Hymn” for the 1936 Berlin games), Mikis Theodorakis, and John Williams.

We’ll also hear works by Brazilian composers Antônio Carlos Gomes , Camargo Guarnieri and Heitor Villa-Lobos, alongside music inspired by Brazil by smitten tourists Darius Milhaud, Ottorino Respighi, Martin Butler and David Gunn.

Also featured will be Michael Torke’s “Javelin,” co- commissioned by the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games; John Harbison’s “Olympic Dances;” and bona fide medal-winning works by Olympic composers Josef Suk and Rudolph Simonsen.

We’ll be testing positive for caffeine, from 6 to 11 EDT on WPRB 103.3 FM and at wprb.com. Our motto has always been “Citius, Altius, Fortius,” on “Classic Ross Amico.”

August 4, 2016
Rio Olympics Music on WPRB

Music composed for the Olympics or inspired by Brazil this morning as we look forward to the Summer Games in Rio. The opening ceremonies take place tomorrow night. Tune in to WPRB 103.3 FM or wprb.com this morning until 11 EDT to enjoy works by Michael Torke, John Harbison, David Gunn, Darius Milhaud, John Williams and Mikis Theodorakis. We’re going for the gold, on Classic Ross Amico.

August 4, 2016
Olympic Music Anthems & Brazil on WPRB

The City of Philadelphia, I’m sure, is only too happy to have the media spotlight shift to Rio de Janeiro for what must be the only city on the planet even more unprepared to host an event of significant magnitude.

Tomorrow morning on WPRB, we’ll look past the mosquito-borne viruses, raw sewage, and kidnappings to celebrate the 2016 Summer Olympics. We’ll hear Olympic music composed by Leo Arnaud, Angelo Badalamenti, Robin Frost, Philip Glass, Basil Poledouris, Richard Strauss (his notorious “Olympic Hymn” for the 1936 Berlin games), Mikis Theodorakis, and of course John Williams.

We’ll also hear works by Brazilian composers Antônio Carlos Gomes , Camargo Guarnieri and Heitor Villa-Lobos, along with music inspired by Brazil, written by visitors Darius Milhaud, Ottorino Respighi, Martin Butler and David Gunn.

It’s a little-known fact that arts competitions were part of the Olympic Games from 1912 to 1948. Categories included architecture, literature, painting, sculpture, and music. The competitions were discontinued because of concerns about the artists being professionals, in contrast to the amateur status of the athletes. A non-competitive art and cultural festival has been presented in conjunction with the games since 1952.

Tomorrow morning, we’ll hear probably the best-known piece of music to emerge from the competitions, “Toward a New Life,” by Josef Suk, a former pupil and son-in-law of Antonin Dvořák. Suk was the recipient of a Silver Medal in 1932. (No Gold or Bronze medals were awarded that year.) We’ll also hear the Bronze medal winner from 1928, the Symphony No. 2 “Hellas,” by the Danish composer Rudolph Simonsen.

Also featured will be Michael Torke’s “Javelin,” commissioned by the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra for performance in 1996; John Harbison’s “Olympic Dances;” and Lee Holdridge’s score for the 1986 documentary, “16 Days of Glory.”

We carry the torch for Rio tomorrow morning, from 6 to 11 EDT on WPRB 103.3 FM and at wprb.com. It will be way more fun than getting a Brazilian wax, on Classic Ross Amico.

August 3, 2016

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