A nice surprise: A German chorus singing music with a marked Brazilian tinge led by a Brit. This is a collection of short works for chorus that Villa-Lobos wrote from 1918 to 1958–in other words, throughout his career. Some are for men only, one is for women, most are mixed. Each is fascinating. The only well-known work is the Bachianas brasileiras No. 9 for voices (later arranged and familiar for string orchestra); the counterpoint is intricate and difficult, and the final moments, in which the higher voices rise chromatically, is superbly done and almost unimaginably strange. And aside from this and a setting of a Bach prelude and fugue (No. 8, from WTC Bk. 1), the works are mostly homophonic, but their rhythmic subtleties and eccentricities keep the ear poised and at the ready.
The first piece (Cor dulce, cor amabile) in places could pass for Renaissance polyphony, but the flavor of the imitative, descending lines is clearly more modern while the form is not; the second, José, for men only, is steeped in folk music with a beat; As Costureiras (The Seamstresses), for women only, is just a lovely song that has a backdrop of quick, fast singing by one choir with embroidery on top–the group’s pianissimo singing is remarkable. A brief Ave Maria from 1918 is peaceful and borrows from previous eras, closing with an Amen that would not be out of place in 11th-century chant. But the odd, exotic essence remains.
Dance rhythms are prominent, as in Chôros No. 3 and Preces sem palavras (Prayers without words), in which the chorus is called upon to hum and make hissing sounds as well as the usual “la-la-la” syllables. It is in works like these that you wonder if the strong beats would be more emphasized coming from people steeped in the tradition–that is, South Americans; but nothing else can be faulted on this disc. Yes, there may be a more “native” way of singing this music, but I suspect none more accurate. Villa-Lobos is crazy about long diminuendos from full choir and truly troublesome sudden changes of dynamics, but the SWR Vokalensemble Stuttgart has been impeccably trained and led by Marcus Creed. This CD doesn’t remind me of anything: it’s fresh, appealing, and a sheer delight. [5/23/2011]
