{"id":12942,"date":"2019-05-14T15:22:03","date_gmt":"2019-05-14T22:22:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/classicalguitarmagazine.com\/?p=12942"},"modified":"2021-07-20T12:43:17","modified_gmt":"2021-07-20T19:43:17","slug":"experiencing-villa-lobos-through-a-superb-virginia-festival","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/classicalguitarmagazine.com\/experiencing-villa-lobos-through-a-superb-virginia-festival\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Experiencing Villa-Lobos\u2019 Through a Superb Virginia Festival"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>BY JOHN PATYKULA\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The music of Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887\u20131959) once again cast a magical spell over Richmond, Virginia, when the Virginia Commonwealth University Department of Music hosted the \u201cExperiencing Villa-Lobos Festival\u201d on March 21\u201323, 2019. VCU held a similar festival in 2008, which was quite successful. The 2019 festival attracted performers and scholars from Brazil, Chile, Germany, Canada, and from across the United States. The many performances, master classes, and scholarly presentations showcased the great variety of music composed by Villa-Lobos, including works for solo instruments, voice, chorus, small ensembles, and orchestra.<\/p>\n<p>One of the main objectives for the festival was to provide a comprehensive look at Villa-Lobos the composer, and feature as much of his music as possible, not just his works for guitar. In fact, no major guitarists were invited to participate in the festival, as it was anticipated that some fine guitarists would respond to the \u201cCall for Performers\u201d and \u201cCall for Papers\u201d and that Villa-Lobos\u2019 guitar music would be well-represented. This proved to be the case.<\/p>\n<p>The festival opened on Thursday, March 21, with a late afternoon reception for the festival participants in VCU\u2019s historic Anderson Gallery, which for many years was a leading venue for contemporary art in the Southeast. VCU guitarist Andrew Stevenson delighted those attending with an impromptu concert of Villa-Lobos\u2019 <em>Etudes<\/em>. The reception was followed with the keynote dddress given by Dr. Grayson Wagstaff of the Catholic University of America, and the opening concert in the Sonia Vlahcevic Concert Hall. The concert featured two important works by Villa-Lobos: the <em>Concerto for Harp<\/em> and <em>Choros No. 10<\/em> <em>for Chorus and Orchestra. <\/em>The <em>Concerto for Harp<\/em> was commissioned by the Spanish harpist Nicanor Zabaleta, and composed in 1953 shortly after the <em>Concerto for Guitar<\/em>; it was one of Villa-Lobos\u2019 last works. Villa-Lobos had stated that he was able to compose for the harp because, \u201cI played the harp from my experience with the guitar.\u201d The soloist for this festival performance was Colleen Thorburn, professor of harp and theory at VCU. Her masterful performance drew a standing ovation. To complement and also contrast the concerto, <em>Choros No. 10<\/em> for chorus and orchestra was selected. This work, composed in Rio in 1926, is probably the best known of the composer\u2019s <em>Choros<\/em> cycle. The work featured VCU\u2019s Commonwealth Singers and the VCU Symphony expertly conducted by Daniel Myssyk. Many of the participants, including those from Brazil, praised this memorable performance, which also drew a standing ovation. For many in the audience, this concert was an eye-opening introduction to the music of the great Brazilian composer.<\/p>\n<p>The first full day of the festival on Friday, March 22, included presentations of scholarly papers, a visiting artists showcase concert, a piano master class, a young performers\u2019 concert, a vocal\/choral concert, and a concert by pianist Sonia Rubinksy. At the visiting artists showcase concert, guitar enthusiasts were delighted by the exquisite performance from Bernardo Marcondes, a doctoral candidate at the Eastman School of Music, who performed a <em>Prelude<\/em>, two <em>Etudes<\/em>, and the <em>Schottish-Ch\u00f4ro<\/em>. Also on the program was the duo of Wan-Ling Chuang, double bass, and Ken Luk, guitar; this unique ensemble displayed great musicianship and sensitivity with performances of several arrangements of Villa-Lobos\u2019 music, including the famous <em>Aria<\/em> from <em>Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5<\/em>. Luk, an accomplished performer, teaches guitar at the State University of New York at Geneseo and at Alfred University.<\/p>\n<p><iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/b0XHyh-bnsE\" width=\"780\" height=\"439\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><\/iframe><em>Bernardo Marcondes of the Eastman School of Music performs <\/em>Prelude No. 1<em> in December 2018.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12947\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/classicalguitarmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Ken-Luk-and-Wan-Ling-Chuang-photo-courtesy-of-VCUarts-e1557869042364.jpg?resize=800%2C534\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" \/><br \/>\n<em>Ken Luk and Wan-Ling Chuang played a unique version of the Aria from<\/em>\u00a0Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5<em>.\u00a0Photo courtesy of VCUarts<\/em><\/p>\n<p>The young performers concert featured solo works for piano as well as solo and ensemble works for the guitar. High school students from Richmond\u2019s Collegiate Upper School Guitar Ensemble, conducted by David Robinson, demonstrated poise and musicianship. Of special interest was Robinson\u2019s very effective transcription for guitar ensemble of the <em>Allegretto Scherzando<\/em> from Villa-Lobos\u2019 <em>String Quartet No. 1<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>The highlight of this event-filled day was the piano concert by Sonia Rubinsky. This exceptional artist, who currently resides in Paris, is an American who grew up in Brazil. She is an authority on Villa-Lobos\u2019 music; in fact, in France she is known as \u201cMadame Villa-Lobos.\u201d She recently was the recipient of a Latin Grammy for her eighth recording of Villa-Lobos\u2019 vast piano works. In an interview for VCUarts, she stated that her all-Villa-Lobos program included works that are \u201cvery varied in form and content. There are pieces with strong folkloric component&#8230; Others are very modern&#8230; And I love all of them. There is so much feeling, passion and vivacity in them.\u201d Her brilliant performance demonstrated that she is truly a world-class artist and perhaps the greatest proponent of Villa-Lobos\u2019 music today.<\/p>\n<p>Saturday, March 23, the third and final day of the festival, began with more presentations of papers. In particular, the presentations by guitarists Richard E. Miller (Columbia University, New York) and Silvio dos Santo (University of Florida) were informative, \u00a0interesting, and well-received by a large group of teachers, students, and visiting scholars. This was followed by a round table discussion on the life and music of Villa-Lobos. The panel consisted of Sonia Rubinsky, Grayson Wagstaff, Jos\u00e9 Carlos Vasconcellos (who recently authored a new book on Villa-Lobos), and members of the Cuarteto Latinoamericano.<\/p>\n<p>The afternoon included a string master class and two concerts, including one titled \u201cThe Brazilian Guitar,\u201d which featured students, faculty, and alumni of VCU\u2019s Guitar Program. This program of solo and ensemble works by Villa-Lobos, Baden Powell, S\u00e9rgio Assad, and Celso Machado also included a new work for guitar ensemble titled <em>Festa de Dan\u00e7a Noturna<\/em>, composed specifically for this festival concert by Frank Mullen III. Mullen, a VCU alumnus, developed his passion for Brazilian popular music while serving as arranger and bandleader for several United States Navy bands. This new work was skillfully performed by the combined VCU Guitar Ensemble and the VCU Community Guitar Ensemble.<img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12949\" style=\"font-weight: bold; background-color: transparent; color: #464646; font-style: italic; text-align: center;\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/classicalguitarmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/The-VCU-Guitar-Ensemble-and-VCU-Community-Guitar-Ensemble-performing-at-the-Experiencing-Villa-Lobos-Festival-e1557869464385.jpg?resize=800%2C439\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"439\" \/><br \/>\n<em>The combined VCU Guitar Ensemble and VCU Community Guitar Ensemble.\u00a0Photo courtesy of VCUarts<\/em><\/p>\n<p>The closing concert featured the Cuarteto Latinoamericano, one of the world&#8217;s most renowned string quartets and one of the leading ensembles promoting the music of Latin American composers. The program included the Fifth and Sixth string quartets by Villa-Lobos, as well as string quartets by two Cuban composers better known for their guitar works: Leo Brouwer and Juli\u00e1n Orb\u00f3n. Brouwer\u2019s <em>String Quartet No.3<\/em>, composed in 1997, contains many unusual effects reminiscent of those found in some of his guitar works. Orb\u00f3n, whose <em>Preludio y Danza<\/em> for solo guitar is still popular today, was strongly influenced by the music of Villa-Lobos. His <em>String Quartet<\/em>, composed in 1951 while Villa-Lobos was alive, demonstrates an individuality that was also a hallmark of the great Brazilian composer.<\/p>\n<p>Prior to the festival, pianist Sonia Rubinsky stated, \u201cthis festival is a wonderful project, unique in the world. The music of Villa-Lobos is vast and varied. There are many aspects in need of research. I do hope that these actions help promote this wonderful music as well as research in this area of study.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Through the many festival concerts and events, participants and listeners at the Experiencing Villa-Lobos Festival did get to know better\u2014in a way, \u201cexperience\u201d\u2014the life and music of one of the greatest figures in 20th century music.<\/p>\n<p><em>John Patykula is Assistant Chair and Coordinator of the Guitar Program for the Virginia Commonwealth University Department of Music. He was Administrative Director for the Experiencing Villa-Lobos Festival.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>_________________________________________________________<\/p>\n<p><em>Here&#8217;s a bonus video of Ken Luk and Wan-Ling Chuang in 2018 playing Villa-Lobos&#8217; <\/em>Modinha<em> (followed by Pixinguinha<\/em>&#8216;s Carinhoso<em>):<\/em><\/p>\n<p><iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/TcReLtc3gYQ\" width=\"780\" height=\"439\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>BY JOHN PATYKULA\u00a0 The music of Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887\u20131959) once again cast a magical spell over Richmond, Virginia, when the Virginia Commonwealth University Department of Music hosted the \u201cExperiencing Villa-Lobos Festival\u201d on March 21\u201323, 2019. VCU held a similar festival in 2008, which was quite successful. The 2019 festival attracted performers and scholars from Brazil, Chile, Germany, Canada, and from across the United States. The many performances, master classes, and scholarly presentations showcased the great variety of music composed by [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":12951,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[6,5],"tags":[109],"class_list":["post-12942","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-stories","tag-villa-lobos"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/classicalguitarmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/villa-lobos2.jpg?fit=768%2C555&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/classicalguitarmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12942","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/classicalguitarmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/classicalguitarmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/classicalguitarmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/classicalguitarmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12942"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/classicalguitarmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12942\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16574,"href":"https:\/\/classicalguitarmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12942\/revisions\/16574"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/classicalguitarmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12951"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/classicalguitarmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12942"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/classicalguitarmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12942"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/classicalguitarmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12942"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}