Heitor Villa-lobos — Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4 (Conducted by Villa-lobos) (1941) [w/score]

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The Bachianas Brasileiras are a series of nine compositions by Heitor Villa-Lobos written from 1930 and onwards. In these suites, written for different formations, Villa-Lobos fused Brazilian folkloric material (especially country music) with baroque forms in the style of Bach. It should be noted here that the suffix "-ana" is often used in the titles of musical works, as a way for a composer to pay homage to a previous composer or a famous performer. This tribute to Bach was also made by contemporary composers such as Stravinsky. All of the movements has two titles: one "Bachian" and the other one, Brazilian.

Composed for piano in 1930, but premiered only in 1939. It received a new arrangement for orchestra in 1941, premiering in the middle of the following year. This work contains four movements:

I. Prelúdio (Introdução) 00:00
II. Coral (Canto do sertão) 08:37
III. Ária (Cantiga) (on the theme of north) 12:47
IV. Dança (Miudinho) 18:57

The suite begins with the famous prelude, whose motif comes from the thema regium, or royal theme, used in the composition of all the pieces that make up Bach's Musical Offering. In the second movement, Canto do Sertão, the B-flat note is repeated several times by an instrument, suggesting the song of the araponga, a bird that has a strident song composed of a single note.

Conductor — Heitor Villa-lobos
Orchestre National de la Radiodifusion Francaise