Luiz Mantovani, Gustavo Costa, Tadeu do Amaral, Everton Gloeden

Luiz Mantovani, Gustavo Costa, Tadeu do Amaral, Everton Gloeden
DE 3409
Su it e F l ora l (1918)
1 Idílio na Rede (Idyll in a Hammock) (2:56)
2 Uma Camponeza Cantadeira
(A Singing Country Girl) (2:15)
3 Alegria na Horta (Joy in the Garden) (2:28)
from Cir an das (1926)
4 A Canoa Virou (The Canoe Capsized) (2:57)
5 A Condessa (The Countess) (3:03)
6 Terezinha de Jesus (2:11)
St r ing Q ua r t et No. 5 (1931) [15:52]
7
8
9
10
Pouco andantino (6:05)
Vivo e enérgico (3:10)
Andantino (3:03)
Allegro (3:34)
D a n ç a s C a ra c t e r í s t i c a s A f r i c a n a s
(Af r ican Fol k Da nces ) (1916)
11 Farrapós (Young People’s Dance) (4:09)
12 Kankukus (Elder’s Dance) (4:25)
13 Kankikis (Children’s Dance) (2:47)
from Cir an das
Villa-Lobos with the score of his String Quartet No. 12 (1959)
14 À Procura de uma Agulha
(Searching for a Needle) (3:09)
15 Senhora Dona Sancha (1:50)
16 Que Lindos Olhos (What Beautiful Eyes) (3:53)
St r ing Q ua r t et No. 1 2 (1950) [23:36]
“Sim, sou brasileiro e bem brasileiro. Na minha música eu deixo cantar os rios e os
mares deste grande Brasil. Eu não ponho mordaça na exuberância tropical de nossas
florestas e dos nossos céus, que eu transponho instintivamente para tudo que escrevo”.
—Heitor Villa-Lobos
17
18
19
20
Allegro (6:40)
Andante melancólico (6:40)
Scherzo – Allegretto (ligeiro) (5:23)
Allegro (bem ritmado) (4:53)
All arrangements by Tadeu do Amaral
"Yes, I am Brazilian, very Brazilian. In my music I let the rivers and the oceans of this
great Brazil sing. I put no gag on the tropical exuberance of our forests and our skies,
which instinctively I transpose into everything I write." —Heitor Villa-Lobos
TOTAL PLAYING TIME: 75:41
Brazilian Guitar Quartet
Everton Gloeden and Luiz Mantovani,
8-string guitars
Tadeu do Amaral and Gustavo Costa,
6-string guitars
NOTES ON THE PROGRAM
Making Music in the Authentic Villa-Lobos Style
Exuberance and simplicity are hallmarks both of Heitor Villa-Lobos’s own personality and of
his rich and diverse oeuvre. As is characteristic of the culture of the Brazilian people as a
whole, his work is sometimes bounded by tradition, while at other times it soars on the
wings of experimentation, absorbing every European and Brazilian influence from that moment in history, and incorporating them in his musical creation.
His music is often characterized according to different periods in his life. But while it is obvious
that historical events may have an impact on the artistic production of a certain epoch, I argue
that Villa-Lobos’s oeuvre in toto does not reflect a linear technical or esthetic evolution. Its trajectory is instead determined by variations in the means of expression, independent of historical
background. Changes in instrumentation create different acoustical environments that reveal
specific compositional procedures and, in turn, distinct facets of the composer himself. Works
written for piano, guitar, chorus, or chamber groups receive different treatments and generate
different musical ecosystems. These distinctions are emphasized when intersections between
types of instrumentation occur.
This is the first of several surprises in this beautiful collection by the Brazilian Guitar Quartet:
works originally written for a variety of instruments are here skillfully transliterated, with exuberance and simplicity, for four guitars. The result is that we have the privilege of a “through
hearing” of different esthetic conceptions in one controlled medium.
Suite Floral, originally written for piano in 1916-18, demonstrates in its first two parts something of the ambience of Debussy. This continues in the third part, “Alegria na Horta” (Joy in
the Garden), in which traces of a Spanish melody are incorporated into a French view of the
Iberian peninsula, so typical of the time.
The Cirandas are a cycle of piano pieces written in 1926. A ciranda is children’s folksong that accompanies a circle dance, and this cycle is one of several in which Villa-Lobos develops Brazilian folk themes through the subtle manipulation of texture. In so doing he invests traditional
melodies with mysterious new readings. The Cirandas make frequent use of pedals and ostinati, which lend to these pieces a freedom of expression typical of the composer, who here
again brings the music of the Brazilian people to the concert stage.
String Quartet No. 5, dubbed “Quarteto Popular No. 1” by the composer, was written in 1931.
With its quotations of folk themes in its first and fourth movements, it is unique in his seventeen quartet cycle. Clearly this is a case where elements of the composer’s life did influence his
music, for it was at this time when he began his cooperation with the government of President
Getúlio Vargas. Villa-Lobos went on during this period to write his cycle of nine Bachianas
Brasileiras and the “Guia Prática“ (Practical Guide), which would form the basis of his nationwide educational crusade.
Pride in country is inherent already in the first movement of the quartet, which in typical
Villa-Lobos manner quotes a folk theme (here “Fui no Tororó”) and then moves to original
melodies presented in a folkloric context. Later he quotes another folk theme, the gaucho song
Pezinho. This provoked a vehement reaction from critics, since the song originated in the
birthplace of President Vargas, who had just imposed a dictatorship that would last until 1945.
The Danças características africanas were composed between 1914 and 1915 for solo piano
and orchestrated by the composer the following year. Farrapós, Kankukus, and Kankikis are
subtitled “Dances of the Mixed-Blood Indians of Brazil,” and were inspired, according to the
composer, by themes from songs of the Caripuna indians of Mato Grosso, an ethnic group
formed from the intermarriage of Indians and Africans. (This typical Villa-Lobos statement
raises anthropological questions better left for discussion elsewhere.) During Brazil’s pivotal
“Semana de Arte Moderna” (Week of Modern Art) in 1922, Villa-Lobos transcribed the pieces
for an octet comprising flute, clarinet, piano and string quintet.
The African Folk Dances occupy a seminal position in the Villa-Lobos corpus, for already in
1915 they incorporate typical elements of his later style, such as formal discourse and unorthodox harmonies, together with the use of whole-tone scales as well as expanded tonalism, in keeping with early 20th century practice.
String Quartet No. 12 was composed at Memorial Hospital in New York, where the composer
was recovering in 1950. This quartet amply refutes any reductive conclusion, based only on his
best known works, that examples of his creative audacity were limited to the Chôros cycle from
the Twenties, or that, by extension, his work from the Vargas era and thereafter was entirely
traditional. Quartet No. 12, written when Villa-Lobos was 63, is based on an atonal conception
(like many of his other chamber works); it demonstrates an advanced treatment of structure,
harmony, counterpoint, and texture, within a framework in keeping with global compositional
styles of the first half of the 20th century.
In conclusion, I must say that I am amazed by the superb quality of the Brazilian Guitar
Quartet, who achieve the complete technical and expressive integration that is the ideal of
every chamber music group. This recording provides the opportunity to enjoy the way in
which the guitar’s multiple timbres sensitively reveal every nuance of musical experience.
Villa-Lobos himself made many transcriptions during his lifetime. This recording is an authentic reflection of the Villa-Lobos way of making music; we hope this is the first of many
such experiments, as the music of this great Brazilian composer is passed on as a living entity
into the future.
About the author: Gil Jardim is the author of The Anthropophagical Style of Heitor Villa-Lobos
(Philarmonia Brasileira). He was awarded the “Diapason d’Or” Prize and the “Prime de Cultura” of the magazine Bravo for his CD “Villa-Lobos em Paris” (2006). Jardim is the Music Director and Principal Conductor of the University of São Paulo Chamber Orchestra, and a
professor in the USP’s School of Communication and the Arts.
English adaptation by Luiz Mantovani, Lisa Sapinkopf and H. Mack Horton
UM ESTILO ABSOLUTAMENTE VILLALOBIANO DE SE FAZER MÚSICA – Gil Jardim
Exuberância e simplicidade são características presentes na rica e diversificada obra de Heitor VillaLobos, bem como na personalidade do autor cuja produção, ora está circunscrita à tradição, ora
busca seu futuro nas asas do experimentalismo, num ato de contínua antropofagia criativa. Sem
dúvida, aspectos conhecidos da cultura do povo brasileiro.
Muitas vezes encontramos a produção musical de Villa-Lobos classificada segundo períodos de
sua vida. É evidente que acontecimentos históricos podem impactar na produção artística de determinada época. Todavia, pretendo sublinhar a não linearidade temporal da produção do compositor quanto à evolução técnica e estética em seu catálogo de obras. Defendo a idéia que são os
meios de expressão que determinam as diversas linhas estéticas presentes em Villa-Lobos, independente da época em que as obras tenham sido escritas. São as diferentes formações instrumentais que revelam as propostas composicionais específicas no seu trabalho, estabelecendo ambientes
sonoros estimulados pelas propriedades acústicas de cada um desses grupos e que revelam facetas
distintas de um mesmo autor.
Dessa forma, as obras concebidas para piano, violão, coro, orquestra ou grupos camerísticos, recebem tratamentos distintos, como se constituíssem verdadeiros ecos-sistema, guardando características relativas a cada grupo. As intersecções confirmam a regra.
Essa é a primeira surpresa desse belo trabalho do Quarteto Brasileiro de Violões: a reunião de obras
escritas originalmente para distintos meios de expressão, vertidas com grande felicidade para quatro violões, com exuberância e simplicidade. Como conseqüência, temos o privilégio de um “ouvir
através”, ou seja, de reconhecermos diferentes propostas estéticas de um mesmo autor a partir de
um mesmo meio de expressão, o quarteto de violões.
Na Suite Floral, obra escrita para piano em 1916/18, deparamo-nos com a ambiência francesa
originada em Debussy, especialmente nas duas primeiras peças. Em Alegria na Horta, a 3ª. peça, o
traço ibérico da melodia acompanha também o olhar francês da época em direção à península.
As Cirandas, ciclo de peças para piano escrito em 1926, integram um dos conjuntos de obras em
que o compositor lança mão de temas do folclore brasileiro, envolvendo-os em refinadas elaborações texturais, como que estabelecendo inusitadas paisagens de fundo sobre as quais as diferentes melodias receberam uma nova leitura.
Os pedais e os ostinati são recorrentes nas Cirandas. A liberdade de expressão é a essência do
gesto villalobiano. Sem dúvida, mais uma vez, nosso grande compositor traria a “música típica”
do povo brasileiro para as salas de concerto.
Já o Quarteto de Cordas No.5, batizado pelo autor como “Quarteto Popular No. 1”, foi escrito em
1931 e possui proposta bastante distinta e particular dentro do ciclo dos 17 quartetos por conter
citações de temas folclóricos no primeiro e quarto movimentos. Este é de fato uma exceção. É inegável
que o assunto musical utilizado nesse quarteto tenha sido estimulado pelas circunstâncias vividas
pelo compositor no começo dos anos 30, quanto iniciava sua colaboração com o governo de Getúlio
Vargas. Este será o período em que Villa escreverá o ciclo das 9 Bachianas Brasileiras e os tomos do
Guia Prático, destinado a dar suporte à sua cruzada educacional pelo país.
A presença do espírito ufanista nesse Quarteto Popular pode ser observada já no seu primeiro movimento, onde encontramos a citação do tema folclórico “Fui no Tororó”, seguido por melodias criadas
com contorno folclórico, gesto usual e recorrente no autor. Mais à frente encontraremos a citação de
outro tema folclórico, a canção gaúcha “Pezinho”. Sobre essa citação se instalou a famosa polêmica com
parte da crítica especializada, especialmente Mário de Andrade, que rechaçou com dureza essa obra.
Naturalmente, foi recebida como uma homenagem explícita a Getúlio. Lembremos que a obra foi dedicada a João Alberto Lins de Barros, interventor nomeado por Vargas para o estado de São Paulo, substituindo o governador eleito, Júlio Prestes. Por outro lado, devemos observar que essa melodia é a
mesma de “Que lindos olhos” (Ciranda No. 15). Haverá como reler esse momento histórico?
As Danças Características Africanas foram compostas entre 1914 e 1915, originalmente para piano
solo, e foram orquestradas no ano seguinte, em 1916. Farrapós, Kankukus e Kankikis receberam o
subtítulo de “Danças dos Índios Mestiços do Brasil”. Segundo depoimento do compositor, alguns
temas dos índios Caripunas (Mato Grosso), raça originada do cruzamento com negros, teriam lhe
servido de inspiração. (Esse é um depoimento tipicamente villalobiano e importante de ser informado, deixando o interesse por uma investigação antropológica pertinente para outro momento.)
Durante a Semana de Arte Moderna (1922), o autor transcreveu a obra para um Octeto formado
por flauta, clarinete, piano e quinteto de cordas.
As Danças Características Africanas ocupam uma posição estratégica no catálogo de Villa-Lobos, pois
já contém, em 1915, elementos e diretrizes características de seu estilo: discursos formais e encadeamentos harmônicos não ortodoxos, utilização de escalas de tons inteiros, assim como incursões sobre
um tonalismo expandido, ratificando tendências conhecidas do início do Século XX.
O Quarteto de Cordas No.12 foi escrito no Memorial Hospital de Nova Iorque, onde o compositor se restabelecia, em 1950. O arrojo estético em sua linguagem musical não deve ser atribuído somente ao Ciclo dos
Choros produzidos na década de 20. Da mesma forma, não é correto enxergar sua prisão a um estilo tradicionalista a partir da era Vargas (1930-45). Isso é rotular a produção do autor com base apenas em algumas
de suas obras mais conhecidas, ou seja, um reducionismo. O Quarteto de Cordas No. 12 é um típico exemplo produzido quando o compositor estava em seus 63 anos de idade. Verificamos o tratamento avançado
quanto a parâmetros estruturais, harmônicos, contrapontísticos e texturais do material sonoro, ou seja, com
perfil estético alinhado com algumas das tendências da primeira metade do Século XX no mundo. Essa
obra é concebida num ambiente sonoro atonal, como muitas outras obras camerísticas de seu catálogo, em
que o assunto musical desenvolvido se volta exclusivamente a ele próprio.
Para concluir, quero dizer que estou maravilhado com a soberba qualidade desse notável Quarteto
Brasileiro de Violões. Integração técnica e expressiva total é o que todo grupo camerístico de excelência
busca. Nesse trabalho temos a oportunidade de ouvir um instrumento único, com possibilidades timbrísticas múltiplas, capaz de revelar com sensibilidade todas as nuances sonoras que a experiência musical contempla.
Villa-Lobos fez, ele próprio, muitas transcrições em sua vida. Esse CD propõe um estilo absolutamente
villalobiano de se fazer música. Ficamos com a expectativa de ouvir ainda mais dessa experiência que
não se esgota aqui e que abraça a música do grande compositor brasileiro de forma viva, lançando-a
para o futuro.
GIL JARDIM
Autor do livro “O Estilo Antropofágico de Heitor Villa-Lobos” (Editora: Philarmonia Brasileira).
Agraciado com o prêmio “Diapason d’Or” e o “Prime de Cultura” da Revista Bravo pelo CD “VillaLobos em Paris”, em 2006.
Diretor Artístico e Regente Titular da Orquestra de Câmara da USP.
Docente do Departamento de Música da ECA/USP.
BIOS
Praised by the Washington Post for their “seductive beauty” and “virtuosic gusto,”
the Brazilian Guitar Quartet has established itself as one of world's leading guitar
ensembles. The group’s unique combination of regular six-string and extendedrange, eight-string guitars, allows for the exploration of an original and unusual
repertoire. In more than a decade of activity, the BGQ has performed over 300 concerts in the Americas, Europe, Australia and Asia, often receiving ecstatic audience
responses, garnering rave reviews, and meeting sold-out halls.
Highlights of the BGQ's past seasons include performances at the 92 Street ‘Y’ and
the Metropolitan Museum in New York, Spivey Hall in Atlanta, Ravinia Festival in
Chicago, Dumbarton Concerts in Washington, D.C., Beethovensaal in Hanover,
Chamber Music Albuquerque, Hong Kong International Arts Festival, Carmel Bach
Festival, Felicja Blumental International Music Festival in Tel Aviv, Festival Internacional de Guitarra de Monterrey and the Adelaide International Guitar Festival, besides numerous performances and recordings for National Public Radio in
Washington, D.C. and Houston.
The Brazilian Guitar Quartet were “headliners” at the inaugural World Guitar Congress in Baltimore where they, together with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra,
gave the world premiere of a specially-commissioned concerto by Brazil’s 2001
“Composer of the Year,” Ronaldo Miranda. In 2006, the Quartet gave the Brazilian
premiere of this work with the Petrobras Symphony Orchestra in Rio de Janeiro. In
2009, as a tribute to the 100th anniversary of Isaac Albéniz’ death, the BGQ presented
the composer’s masterwork Suite Iberia on a concert tour in some of the most important capitals of Brazil.
This all-Villa Lobos CD marks the fifth BGQ recording for Delos. Two are also devoted
to Brazilian Music, Essência do Brasil (chosen by Audiophile Audition one of the best
recordings of that year) (DE 3245) and Encantamento (DE 3302). The other recordings
present, in their entirety, two great works of Western classical music, Bach's Four
Orchestral Suites (DE 3254) and Albéniz’s Iberia (2006) (DE 3364).
Brazilian Guitar Quartet website: http://www.brazilianguitarquartet.com
TECHNICAL INFORMATION • CREDITS
Isaac Albéniz Iberia (DE 3364)
“The Brazilian quartet is a unique musical group: it consists of two standard guitars and two eight string guitars à la Paul Galbraith, who was for a
time a member of the group. What does it sound like? In a word it is magnificent. In this recording they take on Albéniz’ masterpiece Iberia. The
extra pitch ranges at the bottom and top mean there is no compromise because of crowding the music into the available octaves of the standard guitar, and the tone colors of which pianists can only dream can be exploited
with beautiful effect … The quartet are effortlessly virtuosic on their parts,
preternaturally unified, have gorgeous arrangements of the score, and deliver an outstanding interpretation … as near to perfection as I have encountered.”
— SOUNDBOARD MAGAZINE
BGQ MAKES HISTORIC RECORDING OF ALBÉNIZ
* * * * [FOUR STARS, HIGHEST RATING]
“This CD … will stand as a reference recording of the Catalan composer’s
masterpiece … a performance breathtaking not only for the exuberant virtuosity in fast passages and syncopated rhythms, but also for virtuosity of
another level, that of fine control of tempo and tonal qualities, in overlapping layers … [BGQ’s interpretation] has now taken its place alongside
[those of Alicia de Larrocha and Daniel Barenboim], beneath the ideal sun
of Iberia, and in no one’s shadow.”
— A FOLHA DE SÃO PAULO
Brazilian Guitar Quartet
Everton Gloeden; eight-string guitar
by Martin Woodhouse (2001)
Luiz Mantovani; eight-string guitar
by Martin Woodhouse (2003)
Tadeu do Amaral; six-string guitar
by Martin Woodhouse (2001)
Gustavo Costa; six-string guitar
by Dominique Field (1991)
Recorded at the Helen Filene Ladd Concert Hall/Arthur Zankel Music Center (Skidmore College,
Saratoga Springs, NY) between February 13 and February 17, 2010
Delos Executive Producer: Carol Rosenberger
Recording Producer: Brazilian Guitar Quartet
Recording Engineer: Daniel Czernecki, assisted by Brian Peters and Nathan Lawrence
Post-production: Tadeu do Amaral and Plinio Hessel
Microphones: Schoeps MK2H/CMC6XT, DPA 4011 TL
and 4006 TL with nosecones
Preamp and A/D converter: Cranesong Spider
Monitors: B&W 805 Nautilus speakers
All Villa-Lobos photos by courtesy of
Museu Villa-Lobos in Rio de Janeiro.
All BGQ photos by Susane Medeiros Vianna.
Creative Direction: Harry Pack
Graphics: Mark Evans
Special thanks to: Thomas Denny and Joel Brown at Skidmore College, Michael E. Collins, Lisa Sapinkopf,
Gil Jardim, Marcelo Fernandes Dias and Ricardo Manuel Garcia Pereira Dias.
7W
2011 Delos Productions, Inc., P.O. Box 343 Sonoma, CA 95476-9998
(707) 996-3844 • Fax (707) 320-0600 • (800) 364-0645
Disc Made in Canada. Assembled in USA
www.delosmusic.com
MOR E R ECORDINGS ON DELOS
Bach: The Orchestral Suites (DE 3254)
“Of all the anniversary albums paying homage to Bach this year … this disc offers some
of the most unlikely yet consistently delightful listening … the Suites sound as if they
were meant for this arrangement all along,
with the players bringing out not only the
rich counterpoint but the vibrant color of the
works … the ever-popular Air of the Suite
No. 3 moves with a grace both limpid and
lapidary … a wonderful record.”
— BILLBOARD
“Absolute clarity, rhythmic precision, and
drive … brilliant playing … a welcome
rhythmic vitality that is tempered with a
stylish lilt … sparkling ensemble playing.”
— AMERICAN RECORD GUIDE
Essência do Brasil (DE 3245)
Music by Brazilian composers Villa-Lobos,
Guarnieri, Mignone, Gomes
“Strong rhythmic articulation and clarity …
creates much excitement … leave(s) the listener smiling.”
— AMERICAN RECORD GUIDE
“Refreshing, highly entertaining and substantial new repertoire … the players’ musicianship and enthusiasm for this venture shines
through every bar. This is a top class recording of fabulous music from a world-class
quartet. Highly recommended.”
— CLASSICAL GUITAR
“CRITIC’S CHOICE … dazzling music … the
works are in fact thoroughly Brazilian in
character, full of passionate melodies, exciting strumming and dazzling color … a stunning debut … of vibrant music played with
joie de vivre that is infectious.”
— THE DAILY YOMIURI, Tokyo
“Cause for celebration … great brilliance and
enormous musicality … energy and drive …
They play as one, with a gift for tone color at
once varied and integrated. They breathe together, giving the performances a uniquely
organic aura … An ideal synthesis of brightness and reverie, tropical warmth and clarity
of ideas … An unsurpassable disc.”
— JORNAL DA TARDE, São Paulo
Encantamento (DE 3302)
Music by Brazilian composers Mignone,
Guarnieri, Santoro, Miranda, Oswald
“Their varied and intriguing work here is infectiously likable … spotless ensemble precision … gets better with repeated hearing.”
— MINNEAPOLIS STAR AND TRIBUNE
“Most North American classical music lovers
are familiar with Heitor Villa-Lobos, but few
are familiar with Brazil’s other composers …
Providing a welcome introduction to those
other figures is [Encantamento] … these
pieces boast a melodic accessibility and
rhythmic sensuality that often eludes northern
hemisphere composers … [the BGQ] executes
the lively, tricky rhythms of this music as only
Brazilians could”
— HOWARD COUNTY
TIMES, Columbia, Maryland