March is the month of birth of Heitor Villa-Lobos and to commemorate the 130th anniversary of his birth the Brazilian Music Foundation (BMF) will bring together local musicians who will present some of Villa-Lobos’ timeless works such as Choro no. 1, 5 preludes, String Quartet no. 5, Bachianas Brasileiras no. 5 with soprano Angelica De La Riva and guitar quartet, Melodia Sentimental, Canção de Amor, Alma Brasileira (Choro No. 5) with the pianist Max Barros, and other beautiful pieces by the composer, conducted by Rafael Piccolotto. The concert has the sup-port of Sônia Rubinsky, winner of the Latin Grammy in 2009 as “Best Classical Record of the Year” for her recording of Villa-Lobos piano works.
Considered, during his lifetime, the greatest composer of the Americas, Heitor Villa-Lobos composed about 2,000 works and his importance lies, among other things, in having reformulated the Brazilian concept of musical nationalism and becoming his greatest enthusiast. It was also through Villa-Lobos that Brazilian music came to be represented in other countries and became universal. An autodidact who was constantly nourished by the work of J.S. Bach, Villa-Lobos occupies in the context of Brazilian music a position similar to that of Bach in Western music: a source of inspiration and reference for several generations of composers.
The BMF aims to present a series of chamber concerts with the works of Villa-Lobos, as well as those of Carlos Gomes and other great Brazilian classical composers.
The Concert will be held at Baruch College Theater, Engelman Recital Hall, at 7:00 PM on March 5, located at 55 Lexington Ave. (entrance on 25th Street between 3rd & Lexington Ave.) in Manhattan.
Tickets are available on BMF’s website: www.bmf-usa.org. Prices range from $25 to $55 dollars. For more information email: info@bmf-usa.org