COLOURS OF BRAZIL
XUEFEI YANG, Guitar
Decca 479 8791 / *****
ALMA BRASILEIRA
CRISTINA ORTIZ, Piano
Intrada 016 / *****
There
does not seem to be a line demarcating Brazilian classical music from its folk
music. In the works of Brazil's most famous composer Heitor Villa-Lobos, choros
or “street music” were freely used as his inspirations. Thus the term
“crossover” almost becomes meaningless in these all-Brazilian recital discs by Chinese
guitarist Xuefei Yang and Brazilian pianist Cristina Ortiz.
Yang's
offerings are more pop-oriented, with Villa-Lobos' Valsa-Choro, Scottish-Choro
and Mazurka-Choro sitting happily alongside arrangements of Ernesto
Nazareth's tango Odeon, Luiz Bonfa's very familiar Manha A Carnaval
(from Black Orpheus) and works by Sergio Assad and Antonio Carlos Jobim.
Yang's playing is vivaciously infectious, a contrast with Ortiz's more
reflective selection.
Villa-Lobos'
A Lenda Do Caboclo (Legend Of The Half-Blood) and Valsa Da Dor
(Waltz of Anguish) for piano are both imbued with longing and nostalgic
pangs which only Brazilians know as “saudade”. The dances by Mozart Carmago
Guarnieri, Brazilian Suites by Oscar Fernandez and short pieces by
Fructuoso Vianna are folk-inspired and instantly likable.
Vianna's tender Schumanniana
was dedicated to Ortiz, a discovery she made after the composer's death. One
will not get a more touching or personal performances than these.
No comments:
Post a Comment