Search - Villa-Lobos, Cuarteto Latinoamericano :: Villa-Lobos: Complete String Quartets [CD+DVD]

An important Villa-Lobos box-set

Dean Frey | Red Deer, AB CANADA | 08/07/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

""The writing is crazy, but it has a point. It's the added salsa and when you play the quartets you have to make them spicy." - first violinist Saúl Bitrán



From 1995 to 2001, the Cuarteto Latinoamericano recorded all 17 of the Villa-Lobos string quartets. These were released on the Dorian label on six individual CDs, with two or three pieces on each disc, often with early, middle, and late works mixed together for variety. The performances were hailed by most critics as the definitive performances, which is saying quite a bit. Villa's string quartets were already well-served on CD, with complete cycles by the Bessler-Reis quartet on (the late, lamented) Brazilian label Kuarup, and by the Danubius Quartet on Marco Polo. There were also recordings of individual works by the Brazilian String Quartet, the Stuyvesant String Quartet, and the Hollywood String Quartet, among others.



As good as some of those other performances are, the Cuarteto Latinoamericano _own_ these works; they are the best advocates I know for this amazing music.



Now Dorian has put together a box-set of the six CDs, remastered and nicely packaged. The Dorian CDs always sounded great, and their remastering for this set polishes things up so you feel even more in the presence of the musicians. Dorian has added a seventh disc: a DVD of the group performing #01, and an interview with the musicians talking about Villa-Lobos and his music. There's a really excellent booklet with valuable notes by Juan Arturo Brennan.



The members of the Cuarteto Latinoamericano - the three Bitrán brothers (Saúl, Arón, & Alvaro) and Javier Montiel - have lived with these works for a long time, and are very thoughtful about the music not just in terms of technique and musicality, but as part of a broader idea of Latin American culture. Having recorded the entire cycle of 17 string quartets and performed the cycle five times (with another coming up in Mexico City later this month), these musicians rate this music very highly. In the DVD interview Saúl Bitrán puts these works in the same league as the cycles by Bartok and Shostakovich, and says that Villa-Lobos' string quartets are much more creative and much more original than those two great 20th century series.



The string quartets include some avante-garde features (especially #03 from 1916, which was the musical centrepiece of the 1922 Semana de Arte Moderna in Sao Paulo). According to Arón Bitrán, "Back in 1916, before Bartok or Shostakovich, he wrote a complete movement with left-hand pizzicatos and double harmonics; things no one else had ever thought of." If they flirt with the exoticism which most people connect with Villa-Lobos they do so only to a certain extent. You might not recognise the string quartets as being by the same composer as the Sixth or Tenth Choros. At the end of the cycle, the string quartets become more neo-classic and less emotional. The final works, written when Villa-Lobos was ill, are meditative and suffused with "saudade", the Brazilian version of nostalgic sadness. It's really sad that Villa didn't get a chance to finish his 18th String Quartet, which he was working on when he died. Only sketches remain (they're in the Museu Villa-Lobos).



Keep an eye on the Cuarteto Latinoamericano - their excellent website - [...] is a good way to do this. This is the group's 30th anniversary year; let's hope they're around for a long, long time to come."

An Ambitious Project Gloriously Achieved

MusicMan465 | USA | 09/12/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"It is often true that the heart of a composer's voice and most direct exhibition of skill are found within the idiom of the string quartet, particularly for instrumental composers. Such is the case with its inventor, Haydn, and certainly true in Beethoven. It's also delightfully evident with Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos, as discovered in Cuarteto Latinamericano's outstanding recordings of the composer's complete repertoire of 17 string quartets, presented in Dorian Recordings' new boxed set featuring six CD volumes and a bonus DVD.



The composer's prolific output in the quartet medium reveals a fascinating portrait of his artistry at various stages of his career, and the wealth of creativity to be found in them makes for an incredible contribution to the repertoire. The quartets reveal a depth of musicality from a master craftsman, certainly equal in importance to contemporary masters such as Bartok or Shostakovich. Villa-Lobos writes with a broad spectrum of colors and textures with stylistic inventions that are distinctively his own. Though the composer incorporates a breadth of characteristic Brazilian folk influences and displays a full command of musical language, however, the quartets cannot be characterized as wholly unique. In the best sense, the quartets are shining examples of restraint, leaving the listener satisfied with efficient beauty, but still wishing for more. Villa-Lobos continuously demonstrates a profound influence from Haydn's cue, especially noticeable in his frequently used structure of 4 contrasting movements, but even more intrinsically evident in his overarching texture of clear melodies over varying accompaniments and rich, lush voicing. This pervasive reflection of Classical style is rather a highlight of Villa-Lobos' accomplishment, however, rather than a distraction of any sort.



The performances captured in the set are a stunning achievement for the Cuarteto Latinoamericano. This ambitious project is presented with tremendous precision, dedication, and success. All four players reveal their affinity for this repertoire with demonstrations of true world-class virtuosity. The players' closely-matched tone across the entire series bestows on them the rare distinction of being a truly special ensemble worthy of international recognition.



The order in which the quartets are presented is also well chosen. Volume 1 opens with the composer's first and final string quartets, as well as a more central opus, the sixth. This `formula' of an early, middle, and later work is followed on almost all six volumes, leading the listener on a fascinating journey of discovery spanning Villa-Lobos' wide range of expression. The enclosed booklet incorporates well-written notes and the bonus DVD features a live performance of Quartet #1 and commentary between the members of the quartet about Villa-Lobos, his music, and their goals for this project, all gloriously achieved.

"

Villa-lobos string quartets

E. S. Wilks | Hockessin, DE USA | 09/01/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have admired the Quarteto Latinoamericano since I acquired their recording of the three Ginastera quartets. I think they have done an outstanding job on the Dorian CD set of the 17 Villa Lobos quartets.

After I listened to the set and jotted down little comments on them, I looked at the program notes that came with the set and found that they were more or less in accord with my own reactions. Overall they were very informative.

My general reaction was that Villa-Lobos was influenced by the impressionist composers (Debussy and Ravel). There were even touches of Dvoák here and there. The middle quartets are clearly the work of the composer of Bachianas Brasileiras. In the later works, I feel the additional influence of Bartók but in a more accesible vein.

The prominent and frequently juicy parts given to the cello probably reflect the fact that Villa-Lobos was a cellist.

All in all, in spite of the increasing modernist trends in the quartets, Villa-Lobos never loses sight of importance of melody, Brazilian or otherwise.

In summary, I believe that this is an important set of recordings, played by a top-notch group. It makes me wonder why some of these quartets don't show up more regularly in our concert halls.

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