Villa Lobos - The Emperor Jones

This CD brings together color pieces from three distinct periods in Villa-Lobos' musical career. "Uirapuru," from 1917, was Villa-Lobos' response to the visit of the Ballets Russes to Brazil in that year. It is Villa-Lobos' "Firebird," complete with its own legendary bird, the Uirapuru, which sings an enchanting love song deep in the jungle. Considered to be the King of Love, the Uirapuru was hunted by young men of jungle villages. The scenario that Villa-Lobos created for the ballet concerns such a hunt, with fantastical happenings along the way. Like much of Villa-Lobos' orchestral music, the ballet uses native Latin American instruments such as the coco and tamborim. It also has a part for a weird instrument called the violinophone, "a violin amplified by the attachment of a resonating horn," according to the notes to this recording. The music filters Debussy (whom Villa-Lobos admired and emulated) through the lens of Stravinsky and does so very effectively, given that this largely self-taught musician could have known his European musical sources only at a remove before he decided to travel to France in the 1920s to broaden his experience.

The Bachianas Brasilieras series supposedly pays homage to Bach, whom Villa-Lobos apparently loved above all other composers, but for me, it's pretty much a stretch to find Bach in most of these pieces. No. 4, from 1939-41, included on this disc has a classical sort of grace and transparency of texture and is a lovely work, but in a piece supposedly inspired by Bach, there is precious little polyphonic writing.

"The Emperor Jones" is based on the symbolist play of the same name by Eugene O'Neill. The play tells the story of a black convict who is stranded on a Caribbean island and sets himself up as a dictator over its people until the rebel against him. The ballet was penned in 1956 and so is among Villa-Lobos' last works. It is colorfully orchestrated in the manner of Uirapuru and includes some slightly eerie wordless solos for a tenor and soprano (not credited on the CD). I guess "The Emperor Jones" could thought of as Villa-Lobos' "Rite of Spring." But despite a repeated drumbeat from the timpanist, representing Jones's own haunted imagination, and despite the inclusion of highly rhythmic dances that suggest the jungle in which Jones finds himself, this is a pretty civilized treatment of the play. It doesn't capture the implicit savagery or that haunted, hunted quality that you feel even as you read the play (and while I've never seen it performed, I imagine the feeling would be greatly pronounced in a good production). The end of the ballet reminds me of the "steamy" conclusion of Villa-Lobos' own popular "Little Train of the Caipiria," an ending that seems far too upbeat given the tragic, or at least decidedly downbeat, ending of the play. So as a ballet version of O'Neill's drama, I find the music somewhat wanting, but as sheer music, Villa-Lobos' work is interesting and quite enjoyable.

Jan Wagner and his well-drilled Odense Orchestra are perfect for this assignment, it seems. No cold, northern European approach taken here. The music in their hands is full of sun and tropical color. The playing is really admirable; the Odense Symphony does not sound at all like a mere regional orchestra. Bridge provides excellent sound as well-very clear and impactive without any highlighting of the various coloristic instruments Villa-Lobos employs. In all, a very attractive disc.

Heitor Villa-Lobos' (1887-1959) output is immense. Luckily, the recordings of works by this Brazilian master have mushroomed in recent years. Here we have two of Villa-Lobos' ballets; 'Uirapurú' dating from 1917 and 'The Emperor Jones' dating from 1956. Also included on this release is the Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4.

Villa-Lobos was undoubtedly influenced by Stravinsky's 'Firebird' ballet as he composed Uirapurú. But Uirapurú is a highly original and striking work. Although it may seem trite to describe Villa-Lobos' output as being colorful and evocative of the jungle - one only needs to look at the variegated album cover to gather that - it seems especially apt to apply such descriptors to this ballet. Villa-Lobos gathered much of the material used in this ballet on one of his trips to the highly remote, sparsely populated Brazilian interior. The beguiling theme heard in the opening (the song of the legendary Uirapurú bird inhabiting the deepest reaches of the rain forest, I assume) is especially alluring. This theme is contrasted against a forceful hunting party march (2:30-minute mark) and a tribal-sounding trombone ostinato (13:45-minute mark). This ballet is notable for the inclusion of several Latin American instruments (listen for some of these at the 10:00-minute mark, when Villa-Lobos creates an eerie soundscape in which the listener can almost visualize being alone in the jungle saying "what was that sound - behind those bushes!"). Despite being an early work, Villa-Lobos seems to have mastered his characteristic weaving of chirping woodwinds and native percussion instruments in creating a highly picturesque work. In short, this is tone painting at its best.

The Emperor Jones is more powerful and densely orchestrated, in comparison to Uirapurú. The imposing, march-like theme dominating the ballet is contrasted against gentler sections featuring a wordless tenor line. This is a surging work, containing a wide array of percussion instruments and several driving ostinatos.

Both of the ballets last about twenty minutes and are one act affairs. Each ballet as recorded as a single track on this release.

Everything here is well played and recorded. The accompanying notes are quite detailed as well. My one (slight) reservation about this release is the coupling of the ballets with the Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4 (an outstanding version of the complete Bachianas is available from Naxos - Villa-Lobos: Bachianas Brasileiras (Complete)). I would have preferred that another ballet been included instead. But in conclusion, this is an outstanding release and should be acquired by anyone who enjoys the music of this terrific composer.

Highly recommended.

TT: 61:36

I will not engage in reviewing the excellent music, performance and recording, since it has been done very well already. But the people at BRIDGE deserve an admonishment for their production values.
This refers to the 22+ minutes of the 1956 Emperor Jones ballet here included, music that has not been otherwise recorded (at least not so well!)
First, there are two vocalises (male & female) not credited anywhere. But worse: this "suite" has clearly defined sections/movements, which could have been further described and indexed. For that, one star goes off.