Two modernist masterworks in Paris

Here is an announcement of an important concert, from the Parisian journal Excelsior : journal illustré quotidien : informations, littérature, sciences, arts, sports, théâtre, élégances, June 1, 1929. The headline works are two masterpieces of modernism: Edgard Varèse's Amériques, & Heitor Villa-Lobos's Amazonas. From Gallica, the digital library of the Bibliothèque National de France.

This is pretty much a rave from the correspondent, Pierre Leroi. He says of Amazonas, "C'est une véritable orgie de thèmes, souleves par un souffle irrésistible. Et des oppositions heurtées de couleurs, d'ombres et de clartés achèvent de donner á l'œuvre un relief saisissant."

Amazon Trilogy Ballet in Rio de Janeiro

Photo: Júlia Rónai

One of the major cultural events taking place in Rio de Janeiro during the Olympics is the ballet Trilogia Amazônica, presented at the Theatro Municipal from August 3rd to 14th. Here are the credits:

AMAZON TRILOGY - Ballet in three parts

BALLET AND ORCHESTRA SYMPHONY OF MUNICIPAL THEATRO

Music - Heitor Villa-Lobos

Part I - Uirapuru

The Bird Forest (Canto III of The Amazon Forest , 1958) Uirapuru (1917)
Choreography - Daniela Cardim

Part II - Erosion

Erosion, the source of the Amazon River (1950)
Choreography - Luiz Fernando Bongiovanni
Choreography Assistant - Nina Botkay

Part III - Dawn

Dawn in the Rainforest (1953) Amazons (1917) Choreography - Marcelo Gomes Costume - Rene Salazar Scenario - Gringo Cardia Lighting - Maneco Quinderé Regency - Tobias Volkmann

More on this here.

Instruments of Amazonas

Amazonas is one of the great orchestral works of Villa-Lobos's early period - it was written in 1917, the same year as Uirapuru and the Second Symphony. The orchestra used by Villa-Lobos (under the obvious influence of Stravinsky) was a large one; according to the publisher Max Eschig:

4(2flpic).3(1cor ang).4(1clpic, 1clB).3(1cbn) - 1 sarrusophone - 4(ou 8).4.3.1 - 3perc, 1timb, 1cel, 1pno, 2hp - 1 cythara do arco (ou 1 violinophone), 1viole d'amour - crd

Besides the orchestra taking up the full stage, there are a few interesting items here.


The Sarrusophone is a band instrument with the range similar to a saxophone.

The violinophone is also called the Stroh violin (referred to by Eschig as a cythara do arco). The Wikipedia article doesn't mention any use by classical composers, though the instrument was apparently in vogue in Buenos Aires in the 1920s. This is another example (along with the use of a prepared piano in Choros #08) of Villa-Lobos being ahead of the curve technology-wise.

Just to make it difficult for orchestras to revive this piece, Villa-Lobos added a viole d'amour to the score. It all wasn't enough to keep it off the stage in Albuquerque and Brussels, and there are two three excellent recordings, from Apex, Dorian, and Marco Polo.

Villa-Lobos on Bartok Radio

I received this comment on my last post:

Bartok Radio (Hungary) Mar 8th 22:36

Villa-Lobos concert with Emmanuel Krivine conducting Orchestre National de Lyon

Bachianas Brasileiras No 2
Guitar Concerto (Roberto Aussel)
Amazonas

broadcast on the web.

Bartok Radio is a really interesting station that has a variety of web streams. Click here for the current playlist.

Here are the streams:
80 kpbs Windows Media
MP3 Stream
RealAudio Stream

Check out this concert on Saturday - Budapest is on Central European Time, so 22:36 is 21:36 Universal Time, 4:36 p.m. EST, and 2:36 in the afternoon here in Red Deer.