I'm off to present at the Internet Librarian 2007 Conference in Monterey, CA. I may not get a chance to post about VL much in the next week, but maybe I can listen to some music on the plane.
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Thursday, October 18, 2007
The Villa-Lobos Store
After many years as an Amazon Associate at the HVL Website, I've finally taken the time to put together a proper Villa-Lobos Store. Of course, Amazon provides amazing tools now. This looks like it took a lot more time to build than it actually did. Does 40 minutes sound right?
Andy Summers at the Villa-Lobos Museum
Police guitarist Andy Summers visited the Villa-Lobos Museum in Rio de Janeiro in February 2003.
"Like many guitarists I have lived with this music through most of my playing life. Lived with these seminal works by Villa Lobos that sit in your head like a monolithic presence. Like a place you know and love, it is music that you invariably return to once again to take in its exotic aroma."
Here is his really interesting interview with the VL Museum Director Turibio Santos.
I've been listening to Summers' One Train Later on his OTL MySpace page. This is really cool! I love his story about Roxanne starting out as a Bossa Nova. Buy the book - you'll find out the significance of "The Farting Zombies".
"Like many guitarists I have lived with this music through most of my playing life. Lived with these seminal works by Villa Lobos that sit in your head like a monolithic presence. Like a place you know and love, it is music that you invariably return to once again to take in its exotic aroma."
Here is his really interesting interview with the VL Museum Director Turibio Santos.
I've been listening to Summers' One Train Later on his OTL MySpace page. This is really cool! I love his story about Roxanne starting out as a Bossa Nova. Buy the book - you'll find out the significance of "The Farting Zombies".
Monday, October 15, 2007
October 16, 2007 concert in Nicosia, Cyprus
The Brazilian-born pianist Arnaldo Cohen will be playing Brazilian music in Cyprus, I learn from this story in the Cyprus Mail.
His recital in Cyprus will comprise works by Alberto Nepomuceno, Alexandre Levy, Gnattali, Braga, Villa-Lobos, Nazareth, Dutra, Oswald, Guarnieri, Claudio Santoro, Francisco Mignone and Liszt.Arnaldo Cohen Recital. October 16, 2007. PASYDY Auditorium, Nicosia. 8:30pm. Tel.22-663871
His recital in Cyprus will comprise works by Alberto Nepomuceno, Alexandre Levy, Gnattali, Braga, Villa-Lobos, Nazareth, Dutra, Oswald, Guarnieri, Claudio Santoro, Francisco Mignone and Liszt.Arnaldo Cohen Recital. October 16, 2007. PASYDY Auditorium, Nicosia. 8:30pm. Tel.22-663871
Friday, October 12, 2007
New Sonia Rubinsky Recordings on the way
Pianist Sonia Rubinsky, recording session in Paris.Photo courtesy of Nikolaos Samaltanos
It's fun checking out all of the VL activity on the web that I've missed out in the past couple of years. It's great to see that volumes 7 and 8 of Sonia Rubinsky's Naxos cycle of the complete Villa-Lobos piano music are slated for release soon. More information here.
Meanwhile, volume six is still only recently in release, and I've been enjoying listening to it on the Naxos Music Library. Here's the excellent liner notes, by James Melo.
Cristina Ortiz and Choros #11
I added a new CD profile to a new section of the HVL Website. It's a favourite disc of mine: the Ondine recording of Choros #11. This piece is one of those big, sprawling orchestral works Villa was turning out in the mid- to late-20s, like the Choros 8, 9 and 10, (though #11 has a large piano part - it's pretty much a piano concerto). None of these works is well-known; all are very rarely performed or recorded.
I came across this entry in Cristina Ortiz's journal on her website. She played Choros #11 in Brazil in November 2005, and was planning to record it with BIS in the following February. Here's what she had to say about the work:
"When asked to learn Villa-Lobos’ Choros # 11, the only information I had was its length, all of 65 minutes! But the moment I read two or three of the most beautiful themes he ever wrote, my decision was made and I never flinched: the pleasure I would get from playing them, carried me all the way! "
These were the concerts in São Paulo:
17, 18, 19 November 2005, São Paulo, BrazilSala São PauloOrquestra Sinfônica do Estado de São PauloJohn Neschling, conductorCristina Ortiz, piano
VILLA-LOBOS "Chôros" no 11, for Piano and Orchestra
In any case, the BIS recording never seems to have happened. I will have to send off a query, and see if it's "in the can", waiting to be released. That would be cool.
In the meantime, there's a newly-released VL Chamber Music CD from Cristina Ortiz, which I will glom onto and write about real soon.
I came across this entry in Cristina Ortiz's journal on her website. She played Choros #11 in Brazil in November 2005, and was planning to record it with BIS in the following February. Here's what she had to say about the work:
"When asked to learn Villa-Lobos’ Choros # 11, the only information I had was its length, all of 65 minutes! But the moment I read two or three of the most beautiful themes he ever wrote, my decision was made and I never flinched: the pleasure I would get from playing them, carried me all the way! "
These were the concerts in São Paulo:
17, 18, 19 November 2005, São Paulo, BrazilSala São PauloOrquestra Sinfônica do Estado de São PauloJohn Neschling, conductorCristina Ortiz, piano
VILLA-LOBOS "Chôros" no 11, for Piano and Orchestra
In any case, the BIS recording never seems to have happened. I will have to send off a query, and see if it's "in the can", waiting to be released. That would be cool.
In the meantime, there's a newly-released VL Chamber Music CD from Cristina Ortiz, which I will glom onto and write about real soon.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
The Villa-Lobos Web Machine Grinds On
We're finally starting to move over the original content from the Heitor Villa-Lobos Website - first up in 1995 (!) at www.rdpl.red-deer.ab.ca/villa - and then at www.rdpl.org/villa.
The site has a new domain: http://www.villalobos.ca/ - check it out.
Meanwhile, I'm thinking about how to migrate the many blog postings here at the Villa-Lobos Magazine. This blog goes way back, too. The first post was six years ago, in October 2001.
Because I can't focus, there's a third site: Tumbling Villa-Lobos, at villa-lobos.tumblr.com, which I set up because I liked the look of tumblr.com (and I still do). Check it out!
The site has a new domain: http://www.villalobos.ca/ - check it out.
Meanwhile, I'm thinking about how to migrate the many blog postings here at the Villa-Lobos Magazine. This blog goes way back, too. The first post was six years ago, in October 2001.
Because I can't focus, there's a third site: Tumbling Villa-Lobos, at villa-lobos.tumblr.com, which I set up because I liked the look of tumblr.com (and I still do). Check it out!
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
The new site is going up
Go to the new domain for the Heitor Villa-Lobos Website - that's www.villalobos.ca.
It's up and running on Drupal (thanks, Cory!), and I'll be moving over all of the original content Real Soon Now (some of it goes back to the early 90's!).
Then it's time for new content!
It's up and running on Drupal (thanks, Cory!), and I'll be moving over all of the original content Real Soon Now (some of it goes back to the early 90's!).
Then it's time for new content!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)