A day after sharing Igor Stravinsky’s observation that Vivaldi composed the same concerto 500 times comes this barb about his great Brazilian contemporary, Heitor Villa-Lobos: “Why is it whenever I hear a piece of music I don’t like, it’s always by Villa-Lobos?”
MEE-OW!
To further agitate the catty Stravinsky, here’s the symphonic poem “Uirapuru,” named for a Brazilian bird. In short, it’s another one of Villa-Lobos’ folkloric rainforest pieces.
Happy birthday, HVL!
Villa-Lobos and friend
Heitor Villa-Lobos’ “Bachianas Brasileiras” suites are fascinating experiments, attempts to marry the composer’s native Brazilian folk music with the forms of Johann Sebastian Bach. Arguably one of the most evocative of these, the “Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4,” will act as a bridge from today’s Noontime Concert on The Classical Network, which has featured The Dryden Ensemble in music by Bach and his contemporaries. The Villa-Lobos work will begin around 1:40 p.m. EDT.
Then, in the 2:00 hour, we’ll shift gears and enjoy the Symphony in B flat by Alexander Zemlinsky. The symphony was composed very much under the influence of Brahms and Dvořák. Some of Zemlinsky’s mature works undoubtedly achieved greater distinction, but there’s something to be said for great tunes and abundant charm. The composer also happened to be the teacher of Arnold Schoenberg and Vienna’s great musical prodigy of the day, Erich Wolfgang Korngold.
Korngold, of course, went on to become one of the great film composers. He applied the same romantic opulence that made his operas so successful to his work for the silver screen. His Piano Trio in D major, Op. 1, written at the age of 13, reveals him to be already in command of the distinctive musical language that would later serve him so well.
Schoenberg too wound up in Hollywood. He may have been the godfather of dodecaphonic music, but his neoclassical Suite for String Orchestra in G, his first piece composed in the New World, could almost be described as a charmer. This work “in the olden style” is wholly tonal and betrays the composer’s love of the music of Johann Sebastian Bach.
Clearly, what goes around comes around, from roughly 1:40 to 4 p.m. EDT, on WWFM – The Classical Network and wwfm.org.
Zemlinsky and Schoenberg: Let us entertain you.
When Heitor Villa-Lobos was contracted by M-G-M to write music for a big screen adaptation of W.H. Hudson’s novel “Green Mansions” (1959), expectations ran high on both sides. The Brazilian master began immediately, diving into the project with characteristic gusto. After all, he had been writing music inspired by the rain forest for his entire career.
Unfortunately, he had very little affinity for the practicality of the filmmaking process, turning in musical impressions of scenes from the book. The studio was befuddled. Since Villa-Lobos was unable to adapt to the customary way of doing things, he was replaced by MGM house composer Branislau Kaper, who used the Villa-Lobos material as a springboard for his own dramatic conception. The result is part Villa-Lobos, part Kaper, and all MGM gloss.
Villa-Lobos was a little embittered by his Hollywood experience. He promptly assembled a multi-movement symphonic poem, “Forest of the Amazon” (1958), some 75 minutes in length, which employed his rejected sketches. He made a recording of 45 minutes of the music in 1959, for which the soprano Bidu Sayao came out of retirement.
This week on “Picture Perfect,” we’ll have selections from both versions of “Green Mansions,” as well as from the Mayan adventure “Kings of the Sun” (1963), composed by Elmer Bernstein, and “The Night of the Mayas” (1939), by Mexican composer Silvestre Revueltas.
I hope you’ll join me for cinematic evocations of the indigenous peoples of Latin America, this Friday evening at 6 EDT, on WWFM – The Classical Network and wwfm.org.
PHOTO: The project that left Villa-Lobos feeling green around the gills
When Heitor Villa-Lobos was contracted by M-G-M to write music for a big screen adaptation of W.H. Hudson’s novel “Green Mansions” (1959), expectations ran high on both sides. The Brazilian master began immediately, diving into the project with characteristic gusto. After all, he had been writing music inspired by the rain forest for his entire career.
Unfortunately, he had very little affinity for the practicality of the filmmaking process, turning in musical impressions of scenes from the book. The studio was befuddled. Since Villa-Lobos was unable to adapt to the customary way of doing things, he was replaced by MGM house composer Branislau Kaper, who used the Villa-Lobos material as a springboard for his own dramatic conception. The result is part Villa-Lobos, part Kaper, and all MGM gloss.
Villa-Lobos was a little embittered by his Hollywood experience. He promptly assembled a multi-movement symphonic poem, “Forest of the Amazon” (1958), some 75 minutes in length, which employed his rejected sketches. He made a recording of 45 minutes of the music in 1959, for which the soprano Bidu Sayao came out of retirement.
This week on “Picture Perfect,” we’ll have selections from both versions of “Green Mansions,” as well as from the Mayan adventure “Kings of the Sun” (1963), composed by Elmer Bernstein, and “The Night of the Mayas” (1939), by Mexican composer Silvestre Revueltas.
I hope you’ll join me for cinematic evocations of the indigenous peoples of Latin America, tomorrow evening at 6 ET, with a repeat Saturday morning at 6; or that you’ll listen to it later as a webcast at wwfm.org.
PHOTO: The project that left Villa-Lobos feeling green around the gills
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