HEITOR VILLA-LOBOS (1887-1959): Symphony No. 10 "Amerindia" for Tenor, Baritone, Bass, Chorus and Orchestra.

Catalogue Number: 03J003
Label: CPO
Reference: 999 786
Format: CD
Price: $15.98
Description: Dating from 1952, this may look like but is not quite the wallow in orchestral color and effects of Forest of the Amazon. There is plenty of lushly exotic orchestral music in it but, since the longest movement of the work - the fourth at 31 minutes - sets Spanish Marian texts by the Jesuit missionary José de Anchieta, Villa-Lobos also uses material derived from liturgical chants and plainchant. The sections depicting the Indians are the most exotic-sounding, using pentatonic themes, while other sections use more modern tunes and harmonies. The choral writing is particularly expressive and varied, ranging from monophony to eight-part. Yes, there is much here that sounds like a film score for a jungle movie but there is a lot more as well. Tupi, Portuguese, Latin-English texts. Lothar Odinius (tenor), Henryk Böhm (baritone), Jürgen Linn (bass-baritone), Members of the Stuttgart State Opera Choir, SWR Vocal Ensemble Stuttgart, Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra; Carl St. Clair.