Bachianas Brasileiras No.5
Aria (Cantilena)(Ruth Valadares Correa)
Dança (Martelo)(Manoel Bandeira)
Villa-Lobos was himself a ‘cellist, and his two works for "’Cello Orchestra" are at the centre of his output and the repertoire for ‘cello ensemble. They comprise the first and fifth of his Bachianas Brasileiras, nine suites of works for various ensembles in which he tried to forge a musical bond between the forms and structures of his beloved Bach and the popular idioms of his native Brazil. The two movements of Bachianas Brasileiras No.5, were written in 1938 and 1945 respectively and were first heard together in 1947. As with all of his Bachianas, Villa-Lobos gives each movement both a formal and a native title. The Aria (Cantilena) sets a poem about the beauty of twilight in the manner of the Air from Bach’s 3rd Suite, an extended vocalise over a running pizzicato accompaniment "..a rosy cloud, slow and lustrous / floats across the lovely dreaming sky." The more vigorous second movement, Dança (Martelo) sets a poem about a jungle bird and is based on the lively chatter of birdsong. "Sing with all your voices, little birds of the wild…O, your song comes from the forest’s depths / like a breeze bringing comfort to the heart."
R. G. Bratby
Copyright Classical Notes.co.uk 2000
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