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An Ambitious Project Gloriously Achieved, September 12, 2009
Complete String Quartets CD DVD
Villa-Lobos: Complete String Quartets CDIt is often true that the heart of a composer's voice and most direct exhibition of skill are found within the idiom of the string quartet, particularly for instrumental composers. Such is the case with its inventor, Haydn, and certainly true in Beethoven. It's also delightfully evident with Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos, as discovered in Cuarteto Latinamericano's outstanding recordings of the composer's complete repertoire of 17 string quartets, presented in Dorian Recordings' new boxed set featuring six CD volumes and a bonus DVD.The composer's prolific output in the quartet medium reveals a fascinating portrait of his artistry at various stages of his career, and the wealth of creativity to be found in them makes for an incredible contribution to the repertoire. The quartets reveal a depth of musicality from a master craftsman, certainly equal in importance to contemporary masters such as Bartok or Shostakovich. Villa-Lobos writes with a broad spectrum of colors...
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| Author: Dean Frey (Red Deer, AB .. | "The writing is crazy, but it has a point. It's the added salsa and when you play the quartets you have to make them spicy." - first violinist Saúl BitránFrom 1995 to 2001, the Cuarteto Latinoamericano recorded all 17 of the Villa-Lobos string quartets. These were released on the Dorian label on six individual CDs, with two or three pieces on each disc, often with early, middle, and late works mixed together for variety. The performances were hailed by most critics as the definitive performances, which is saying quite a bit. Villa's string quartets were already well-served on CD, with complete cycles by the Bessler-Reis quartet on (the late, lamented) Brazilian label Kuarup, and by the Danubius Quartet on Marco Polo. There were also recordings of individual works by the Brazilian String Quartet, the Stuyvesant String Quartet, and the Hollywood String Quartet, among others.As good as some of those other performances are, the Cuarteto... | 15 | |
| Author: E. S. Wilks (Hockessin, .. | I have admired the Quarteto Latinoamericano since I acquired their recording of the three Ginastera quartets. I think they have done an outstanding job on the Dorian CD set of the 17 Villa Lobos quartets.After I listened to the set and jotted down little comments on them, I looked at the program notes that came with the set and found that they were more or less in accord with my own reactions. Overall they were very informative.My general reaction was that Villa-Lobos was influenced by the impressionist composers (Debussy and Ravel). There were even touches of Dvo'ák here and there. The middle quartets are clearly the work of the composer of Bachianas Brasileiras. In the later works, I feel the additional influence of Bartók but in a more accesible vein.The prominent and frequently juicy parts given to the cello probably reflect the fact that Villa-Lobos was a cellist.All in all, in spite of the increasing modernist trends in the quartets,... | 13 | |
| Author: MusicMan465 (USA) - See.. | It is often true that the heart of a composer's voice and most direct exhibition of skill are found within the idiom of the string quartet, particularly for instrumental composers. Such is the case with its inventor, Haydn, and certainly true in Beethoven. It's also delightfully evident with Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos, as discovered in Cuarteto Latinamericano's outstanding recordings of the composer's complete repertoire of 17 string quartets, presented in Dorian Recordings' new boxed set featuring six CD volumes and a bonus DVD.The composer's prolific output in the quartet medium reveals a fascinating portrait of his artistry at various stages of his career, and the wealth of creativity to be found in them makes for an incredible contribution to the repertoire. The quartets reveal a depth of musicality from a master craftsman, certainly equal in importance to contemporary masters such as Bartok or Shostakovich. Villa-Lobos writes with a broad spectrum of colors... | 10 | |
