Villa-Lobos: Piano Works

Villa-Lobos: Piano Works > Reviews > BRAZILIAN FLAIR

1CD(s) - Label:Apex - Distributor:TEN - Run Time:1 hour 40 minutes - ADD - Released:23/06/2003 - 809274083722 more

2 offers from £2.18 to £4.99

Overall user rating Villa-Lobos: Piano Works 1 review | Write a review | Add product to list





Please wait ....
Rate this product:  
 
All Villa-Lobos: Piano Works reviews
BRAZILIAN FLAIR
A review by Benj on Villa-Lobos: Piano Works
November 13th, 2000


Author's product rating:   Villa-Lobos: Piano Works - rated by Benj

Originality  
Lyrics  
Quality and consistency of tracks  
Value for Money  

Advantages: Hugely enjoyable music, fresh and free of pretence
Disadvantages: Unfamiliarity?

Recommend to potential buyers: yes 

Full review
Brazil’s most celebrated classical composer wrote some two hundred works for piano, many of which sadly languish in the wilderness. This disc will do much to advocate his appealing musical personality. The collection begins with the suite “As Tres Marias,” a trio of movements lasting barely three minutes. Based on the stars of Orion’s belt, it is one of Villa-Lobos’ most popular pieces, here played with great panache by the Canadian virtuoso Marc-Andre Hamelin. The closing Rudepoema, a fiercesome score from the 1920s dedicated to Arthur Rubinstein, paints a completely different sound picture. It’s a concentrated work, powerful and uncompromising, and perhaps surprisingly it delves into the world of polytonality as realised by Milhaud in the same decade. It takes several listens to fully appreciate the larger scale that Villa-Lobos is working on, and Hamelin responds by giving a barnstorming performance of virtuosity and musicality. Not one for the faint-hearted, but rewarding for those of you who might previously have considered Villa-Lobos to be an unadventurous composer. This is perhaps his darker side.

In between we have two children’s suites, “A Prole De Bebe,” delightfully characterised and coloured by Hamelin. There are several gems here - try the sparkling “O Polichinello” (Punch) or the fireworks of “O Camundongo De Massa” (The Little Papier-Mache Mouse) in the second suite. Pianistically we hear occasional echoes of Debussy, or Stravinsky’s Petrushka. The first suite, “The Dolls”, is a set of miniature treasures, whilst the more substantial second, “The Little Animals,” is more concentrated but highly effective. Hyperion deserve many plaudits for an enthralling disc of piano repertoire slightly off the beaten track, brought spectacularly to life by Hamelin. Do give it a try.
 

Write your own review




More details
How does it compare to the artist's other releases  
How does it rate alongside the competition  
Cover / Inlay Design and Content  

Evaluate this review
How helpful would this review be to someone making a buying decision?
Rating guidelines

   

Comments on this review
More options
All Villa-Lobos: Piano Works reviews

Compare prices for Villa-Lobos: Piano Works

2 out of 2 offers for Villa-Lobos: Piano Works   sorted by Price  
Villa-Lobos - Piano Works - Villa-Lobos - Piano Works -
Release Date: 2003-06-23, Audio CD, Apex
£ 2.18 Amazon Marketplace

Postage & PackagingCheck Site.
AvailabilityUsually dispatched within 2 working days...
Amazon Marketplace

Products you might be interested in
(A) Bride's Guide to Wedding Music(A) Bride's Guide to Wedding Music

This product has not yet been reviewed. Rate it now

Buy now for only £ 5.00

Chopin: Piano FavouritesChopin: Piano Favourites

1CD(s) - Label:Naxos - Distributor:Select - Run Time:1 hour 18 minutes - DDD - Released:05/1995 - 730099417020

 1 review

Buy now for only £ 3.08

Classic FM Weddings 2008

2CD(s) - Label:Universal Classics & Jazz - Distributor:Universal Manufacturing and Logistics - Released:14/04/2008 - 28948009022

This product has not yet been reviewed. Rate it now

Buy now for only £ 10.98

Verdi: Requiem; Quattro pezzi sacriVerdi: Requiem; Quattro pezzi sacri

2CD(s) - Label:The Originals - Distributor:Universal Manufacturing and Logistics - Run Time:2 hours 3 minutes - ADD - 28947577355

 1 review

Buy now for only £ 7.80

1492: Conquest of Paradise: Original Soundtrack

1CD(s) - Label:WEA - Distributor:TEN - DDD - 745099101428

 2 reviews

Buy now for only £ 4.06

Rule Britannia and other music from the \Rule Britannia and other music from the \"Last Night of the Proms\"

1CD(s) - Label:Naxos - Distributor:Select - Run Time:1 hour 55 minutes - DDD - Released:09/1998 - 730099498128

 1 review

Buy now for only £ 2.62

Guitar ConcertosGuitar Concertos

1CD(s) - Label:Naxos - Distributor:Select - Run Time:1 hour - DDD - Released:02/1994 - 4891030507296

This product has not yet been reviewed. Rate it now

Buy now for only £ 2.13

Villa-Lobos: Chamber MusicVilla-Lobos: Chamber Music

1CD(s) - Label:Naxos - Distributor:Select - Run Time:1 hour 59 minutes - DDD - Released:03/07/2006 - 747313276523

This product has not yet been reviewed. Rate it now

Buy now for only £ 3.02

Classic FM Guitar

2CD(s) - Label:Universal Classics & Jazz - Distributor:Universal Manufacturing and Logistics - Released:16/06/2008 - 28948009763

This product has not yet been reviewed. Rate it now

Buy now for only £ 8.98




Are you the manufacturer / provider of Villa-Lobos: Piano Works? Click here