Bachianas brasileiras No. 2

Mashing together the sounds of his native Brazil with those of Baroque master J.S. Bach was the challenge Heitor Villa-Lobos set himself in the nine works he entitled Bachianas Brasileiras. No. 2 in the series was written in 1930, for a richly coloured orchestra including two saxophones, a celeste and a piano. There are four movements, each illustrating an aspect of Brazilian life. The languorous “Preludio” (“The Scamp’s Song”) depicts the casual, easy-going lifestyle of a rural dweller, while the second movement “Aria” (“The Song of Our Land”) conjures both the burnished splendour and the sultry mysteries of the Brazilian landscape. The lively “Dansa” movement (“Backwoods Memories”) sports a strutting trombone solo, framed by hyperactive string rhythms. For the “Toccata” finale, an array of ethnic percussion instruments is added. They imitate “The Little Train of the Caipira”, puffing and chugging its way gamely across the vast Brazilian countryside.