Music Chat: The 2020 KOLA (Keep On Listening Awards) ALBUM OF THE YEAR!!!

[@marcelobriones6551]

Hello from Brazil. Very nice to see our "Villa " being recognized in its deserved stature. It is reality a marvelous collection. Dave gave a perfect appraisal as always. I used to attend regularly the São Paulo Symphony concerts, but this year they were cancelled. Cheers David your channel is my favorite.

[@marceloforones6939]

Man, as a Brazilian music lover and a crazy Villa-Lobos’ fan, I’ll tell: you didn’t make my day, you did my whole year! Thank you so much!

[@ChrisTopher-1599]

I performed his soprano sax Fantasia w/ orchestra! Lots of fun :) Thanks for covering Villa-Lobos!

[@dianelewis4774]

I've been waiting 4 years for somebody to help me enjoy my big box of Villa-Lobos. It was a very special gift from friends of Brazel. Now I kknow how to approach it with your insight! Thanks a again, you are my teacher!

[@stuartraybould2574]

Didn't know which set to go for, this or the cpo, eventually went for this because of the price. Great music, absolutely love it. I've now ordered the bis set you recommended by the same orchestra, waiting patiently for it to arrive. Then I'm going to get the Cello cd on Naxos, another of your recommendations. Thank you for introducing me to this fantastic composer, just love this stuff.

[@nelsoncamargo5120]

I'm so glad to know that you like our great Villa-Lobos!

[@maudia27]

Another happy Brazilian fan of yours. You said I would be surprised with the Record of the Year in a comment :) Thanks for the wonderful moments in 2020. Happy New Year! PS. Karabtchevsky is 86 years old !

[@alejandrosotomartin9720]

So refreshing picks. Keep on listening in 2021 folks.

[@zemoderno]

Great David. I am Brazilian and I confess I have enormous difficulty with the Villa-Lobos symphonies. They are super intricate in the sense that they contain many colors and rhythmic variations that are impossible to memorize. That is why several auditions are necessary and without many rewards. But when we overcome it is a delight. My suggestions to start - symphonies n.6, n.2 and n.10.

[@mickeytheviewmoo]

Ty for your suggestion

[@andantemoderato2722]

Zé Villa-Lobos é musica moderna século XX então tem pouca melodia e é muito complicada aprendi a gostar desse estilo com meu tio

[@s28101]

Award from a lover of music! It cant be better. Thanks for all your heartwork in these videos. Best wishes for You and yours, take care❤️

[@ewaldsteyn469]

So glad to hear you have such a high regard for Villa-Lobos' symphonies. I started of about 5 years ago with his masterfull Chorosses and Bachiana Brasileiras. Earler in 2020 I decided to give his symphonies also a go, the whole set, and what a absolute joy to listen through all these magnificent symphonies, hearing how his style went into different phases as the years went on. As you rightly points out, these are unjustly neglected masterpieces.

[@Craig_Wheeler]

After hearing those wild choral transcriptions from Villa-Lobos, on that Naxos disc, I was convinced to take a chance on this set. It was very reasonably priced, as well. Thanks for touting us on Villa-Lobos. Outside of his Bachianas Brasileiras, I did not know his oevre. 👍🎶

[@CortJohnson]

Still available! Thanks Dave😎

[@frgraybean]

Thank you for drawing attention to this fantastic box set! Wonderful music...worth the price of the box for that final choral "shout" at the end of the magnificent Symphony No. 10. The Sao Paulo forces outdo themselves with obvious pride in and love for this wonderful composer. I have the St. Clair cycle and find it very fine as well. I also like the Koch recording of the Symphony No. 10 with the Santa Barbara Symphony Orchestra. Bills itself as the world premiere recording. More closely recorded than the Naxos, but well played and sung.

[@johnwright7749]

This has been very instructive! I don’t know enough of Villa-Lobos except for the Bachianas Brasileiras, though my favorite work of his so far is Uirapuru. I’ll now be investigating his symphonies, starting with No. 7 (based on the sample you played). But I also want to thank you for one of the other KOLA discs: Martinu’s Bouquet of Flowers and Novak’s Philharmonic Dances that I received as a Christmas gift. I did not know these, although I have quite a bit of Martinu. Wonderful works! However, today is the birthday of Mexico’s greatest composer in my opinion, Silvestre Revueltas and I’ll be listening to his music. He composed more than Sensemaya, terrific that it is and the only work of his that gets performed with any regularity. Happy New Year🎉

[@IvoJacome]

Bravissimi to the São Paulo Symphony Orchestra, and to Isaac Karabtchevsky.

[@johnniebasch8660]

That finale of the 4th movement from Symphony 10 is fire, absolute fire! And what a perfect choice a set with a demonic hell chorale makes as the KOLA recipient for the year of 2020, right!? Happy New Year's and looking forward to 2021!

[@martincook6699]

I never understood why the old penguin guide gave such a snotty evaluation of the guitar concerto. I always liked it myself.

[@johnniebasch8660]

There's a class-based snobbery in classical music against the guitar. It goes back to the late 18th/early 19th century when piano makers would make cheap guitars to give to peasants so the aristocracy would associate pianos with the upper class and guitar with the lower class. This attitude persists to this day, I've seen popular KZbin classical commentators *this year* bashing the guitar as "the Wonderwall instrument" and nonsense like that. Really, the only polyphonic string instrument is viewed as inferior because regular people like it and play it? Or because a lot of people play "greatest hits" that means there's not a panoply of other rich music? I mean, Bach's fugue from BWV 995 is one of his best, but how often do you hear it? Or the fugue from BWV 998? Grammy winning classical guitarist Sharon Isbin was asked this year about the prejudice she faced as a woman in classical music and she said it was nothing compared to the prejudice she faced as a guitarist from the classical music world. Indeed, I suspect that being known as a guitar composer is part of the reason (inter alia) why Villa-Lobos isn't respected as much as he should be at-large. My advice is to ignore most assessments from the classical world about classical guitar or at least recognize that it is filtered through A LOT of prejudice. I'm not sure they even realize it most of the time.

[@barryguerrero7652]

Because it was The Penguin Guide. 'Nough said.

[@johnmarchington3146]

I've only just seen this video (December 2022) , so I apologise for the lateness. I decided to buy the box set some time ago, even though I had never heard any of the symphonies before, and have been absolutely delighted with it. These are really marvellous works (although I do wonder what happened to No 5? Strange!) and I cannot understand why we don't hear at least some of them more often. The playing by the São Paulo SO is glorious and conductor Isaac Karabtchevsky appears to get right inside the music from the very start. I've had the Stokowski Everest recording of "Uirapuru" for decades and love the work. I totally agree with your assessment of the set and urge everyone to at least listen to some of the works.

[@noirspirit1]

What a pleasant surprise! As a person who oftentimes attends the São Paulo Symphony Orchestra concerts, I can say that I'm really happy to hear this!

[@providence51]

So surprised and happy to hear you mention Carl st. Clair our conductor with the pacific symphony in Orange County calif. such a great conductor and symphony and it only takes us 15 minutes to get to the symphony hall, lol. They had so many great concerts planned including mahler’s 8th, can you imagine, that were of course COVID canceled. Loved your video and I will be listening to these symphonies downloaded on the iPhone.

[@bobhourigan5397]

I've been debating the purchase of this set. I want to thank you for your review, it's made up my mind. This is a definite must have. Again thanks.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Hope you enjoy it!

[@murraylow4523]

Dear Dave - Happy New Year to you as well. I’ve been up in Scotland for ten days but got back in time to catch your recent Brahms video and this. During the i itial lockdown I was listen8ng to Brahms’ G Major Sextet over and over so it was good to hear you talk about it. I love the way, as at the start of the second symphony, Brahms distracts us from the v important initial sounds (here that semitones figure) with a wonderful “big romantic tune”. So clever and fun. I guess now I’ll have to pay more attention to South America, imaginatively at least....

[@AlexMadorsky]

Oh boy, I’m so happy this is scheduled to arrive today! I have the St. Clair cycle and love it so much I couldn’t help but by this new Naxos cycle as well. I’ll Keep On Listening to all of these symphonies. I think #4 with the enormous orchestra plus a wind band is my favorite. A very Happy New Year to you and yours, Dave! These videos really have been one of the best parts of my 2020.

[@adrianosbrandao]

(Wow, a brazillion Brazilians in the comments!) The loony text you recited is by Anchieta himself, a Jesuit father - no wonder his vision of Calvin, LOL. He personally worked to expel a French Calvinist mission in Rio and his poetic work has plenty of mentions of Calvin’s name. My hometown was founded by a rather troubled man, to say the least.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Indeed!

[@jackdahlquist2977]

Villa-Lobos himself recorded the Fourth during the Fifties, as part of the huge recording project he conducted and supervised in Paris. The collection was released on six CD's. I own a copy of the set, which I greatly enjoy. I'm not sure if it's still available.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

I have it too. It was reissued fairly recently.

[@LucasFigueiredoBR]

He also recorded the 10th with the Orchestre Radio-Symphonique de la RTF

[@philscott6085]

Totally with you all the way, with your choice and your perceptive comments. Maybe No.5 will turn up one day, I hope!

[@sansumida]

Will get this set next as already have the string quartets. These are possibly more "symphonic" pure music as cannot hide behind colourful orchestration.

[@sergioalcides]

This is a very good and helpful commentary! Even in Brazil, if I'm not mistaken, Villa-Lobos' symphonies aren't very well known. I only am not sure that Villa was in Paris around 1916 and 1917; I suppose he wasn't. As far as I know (which is not that much) he first set foot there in 1923. Anyway, it's so nice that we now have this new complete cycle! And I thoroughfly agree with you about the seriousness of these pieces' contribution to 20th-century symphonic music.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Thanks. Don't know where I got the Paris thing--I probably just made it up!

[@jimcochran1408]

Dave, I'd like to purchase the scores to these works. Appear to be rental only. Any insight into that situation?

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Sorry no. It is what it is.

[@Don-md6wn]

I am still slowly working through and enjoying the BIS box of the complete Bachianas Brasileiras and Choros with the same orchestra that you recommended a while back, so will take some more time with those before I decide on this set. David, with regard to new 2020 recordings, have you heard the recent Naxos/Slatkin release of the world premiere of Requiem for Fallen Brothers (the WW 1 allies) by the Russian composer Alexander Kastalsky? It is with the St. Luke's Orchestra and 4 choirs. Thanks for all your videos; they have been a welcome bright spot in 2020.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Yes I have heard it.

[@Don-md6wn]

@@DavesClassicalGuide LOL. I'm going to take that as a lack of enthusiasm. I only became aware of it this morning when some algorithm on KZbin shoved it in my face.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

@@Don-md6wn Well, I don't want to talk about it just yet. We'll see.

[@SDSsongs]

Was there an album of the year video for '21?