Villa-Lobos: Bachnias Brasileiras (Complete)

Villa-Lobos’ strikingly colorful Bachianas brasileiras, written between 1930 and 1945, are flamboyant fusions of Baroque and Brazilian music, the composer’s personal homage to the works of J. S. Bach. The nine suites—written for different combinations of instrumentalists and singers—have varying sources of inspiration, each featuring a blend of strict Bachian structure and contrasting folk flavor. The first, for cello ensemble, is a gorgeously mellifluous work, dedicated to the great 20th-century Spanish cellist Pablo Casals. The second contains possibly the best-known movement of the entire set, “The Peasant’s Little Train,” which depicts the journey of a steam engine through the Brazilian countryside, while the fifth is scored for soprano and cello ensemble and features Villa-Lobos’ famous and much-recorded “Aria.” The naming of the suites’ various movements—“Prelúdio (Ponteio),” “Fuga (Conversa),” “Aria (Modinha)”—reflects their genesis, nodding to the composer’s Brazilian heritage and his study of European music. But every one of them speaks with his distinctive voice and draws on his ability to create incredible orchestral color, which the American conductor Kenneth Schermerhorn and his fine Nashville ensemble convey impressively.