Maybe My Favorite Microphone-less Vocalist
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Bachianas Brasileiras No.5, For Soprano & Cellos: I. Aria (Cantilena):
Bachianas Brasileiras No.5, For Soprano & Cellos: II. Danca (Martelo):
Victoria de los Angeles (1923-2005) worked within a type of music that demands that the singer's voice be heard without a microphone, over a large orchestra in a large theater. To sing loudly enough, most singers in this situation can't avoid excessive vibrato (vibrating pitch), which to me makes the voice sound in some ways less musical. She is one of the handful of classical singers I can think of who sing with a purer, more musical tone.
For the 1956 album that these two cuts come from, Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887-1959) conducted the Orchestre de la Radiodiffusion Francaise and wrote this in the liner notes:
"The Bachianas Brasileiras, comprising nine suites, were written in homage to the great genius of J.S. Bach. They were inspired by the musical atmosphere of Bach in respect to harmony and counterpoint and by the atmosphere of the folk music of Brazil's northeastern region." About Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5 for Soprano and Eight Cellos he wrote: "The first movement of this work, Aria (Cantilena), was written in 1938 with lyrics by Ruth V. Correa; the second, Dansa (Martelo), in 1945 with lyrics by the great Brazilian poet Manuel Bandeira. The Aria, an original melody, is a kind of Brazilian lyric song, with the pizzicati support as in a serenade. Dansa represents a persistent and characteristic rhythm much like the emboladas, those strange melodies of the Brazilian hinterland. The melody suggests the birds of Brazil."
I first heard the Aria on Joan Baez's fifth LP, and she did a pretty good job with it, eight cellos and all. But Victoria de los Angeles takes it to a whole other level. I've also heard it in the soundtrack of several lesser-known foreign movies decades ago; perhaps the film-makers couldn't create enough poignancy and depth on their own. There's also a voice and guitar arrangement that I used to privately hum and pluck decades ago.
For two other Victoria de los Angeles posts, click either here for Canteloube, or here for Montsalvatge.
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Here is this post's original tuneage, which had been obliterated by MOG upgrades. It's down here because I (we?) can no longer edit my (our?) published posts.
“Aria” “Dansa”