The Chôros series series represents the height of Villa-Lobos’ quest to synthesize 1920s modernism with the sounds of his native Brazil. By developing the tradition of choro, an ensemble of urban serenaders, in a European classical context, the composer perfected the aesthetic which would establish him as the leading voice of a national tradition in art music. 

The Chôros No. 8, while less often performed than the more tonal, tropical journey of No. 10, in fact embodies a higher degree of modernist complexity. Illustrating a carnival celebration in Rio de Janeiro, Villa-Lobos interweaves both rustic and street elements with the formal idiom of his northern and eastern contemporaries.

Polytonal passages and the importation of popular tunes such as a Tango by Ernesto Nazareth might call to mind a South American Ives, while raw winds and chugging rhythms creative a primitive effect that may have led the New York Times critic Olin Downes to hear shades of Stravinsky.

Villa-Lobos, not unlike Varèse, allows form to morph freely with timbres such as percussive pianos, high-pitched trills and brass glissandi that were radical for the time. A rustling Caracaxà instrument sets the stage for the serenade, announced by a declamatory trombone motive that persists as the orchestra becomes a jungle of scampering violins and ostinato horns and woodwinds, with snatches of folk melodies that fight through the brush. The persistent interlocking of festive melodies and rhythms with ominous timbres that emerge from the belly of the orchestra creates a tension that is barely resolved in the final chord.

-Rebecca Schmid

Rebecca Schmid is a music writer based in Berlin. She contributes regularly to publications such as The New York Times, Gramophone, and MusicalAmerica.com. More on: http://rebeccaschmid.info


Chôros No. 8 (1925)
for orchestra and 2 pianos
3 / 3 / 3 / 3 / 1 — 4 / 3 / 4 / 1 — timb. — 5 perc. — 2 hrp — strings
Duration: 20’
Published by Eschig

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