# SS 25.08.18 - Villa-Lobos #4 "Victory"



## realdealblues (Mar 3, 2010)

A continuation of the Saturday Symphonies Tradition:

Welcome to another weekend of symphonic listening! 
_*
*_For your listening pleasure this weekend:*

Heitor Villa-Lobos** (1887 - 1959)*

Symphony No. 4 "A Vitória" (Victory)

1. Allegro impectuoso
2. Andantino
3. Andante
4. Lento - Allegro

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Post what recording you are going to listen to giving details of Orchestra / Conductor / Chorus / Soloists etc - Enjoy!


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## realdealblues (Mar 3, 2010)

Thanks again to Mika and Cougarjuno for stepping in. I was out of town last week but I have no idea what happened the previous weekend. Been just overwhelmed with everything lately and I'm glad others have stepped in to keep the Saturday Symphony tradition alive.

This weekend it's Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos's Fourth Symphony. I've never been a big fan of Villa-Lobos but I'm always willing to give something another listen so I'm happy to this symphony a spin this weekend.

I'll be listening too:




Carl St. Clair/SWR Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

^ the same, but from CD (CPO).


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## Merl (Jul 28, 2016)

I tried. I'll leave it there. Youtube same one for me.


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## Haydn man (Jan 25, 2014)

Came across this on Spotify and will proceed from there


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## D Smith (Sep 13, 2014)

I'm a big fan of Villa Lobos' chamber music but not as much of his symphonic works, but I'll happily listen to the Naxos recording.


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## Mika (Jul 24, 2009)

Haydn man said:


> View attachment 107048
> 
> Came across this on Spotify and will proceed from there


Same record and Spotify


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

I'll be listening to this in the next day or so. If interested, Wiki has an entry for this symphony.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symphony_No._4_(Villa-Lobos)


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## cougarjuno (Jul 1, 2012)

Agree with D Smith. Generally Villa Lobos' chamber music tends to be of higher quality than his symphonies. But his orchestral music is interesting and engaging at its best if not profound. I have a couple of recordings of the 4th but I'll pick Venezuela's Simon Bolivar Orchestra with Enrique Arturo Diemecke.


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

I've never listened to any of his symphonies. I have the BIS box of his other works. Will try the one blues uploaded.


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

I listened to the YouTube clip with Carl St. Clair, who by coincidence is the conductor of my own local Pacific Symphony Orchestra. I turned it off with about five minutes remaining and felt no regret. It's not that the symphony is bad (although I don't think it's very good) but it is totally and crashingly uninteresting, at least to me.


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## Haydn man (Jan 25, 2014)

Having listened twice now I think this is growing on me
Expansive work with a large orchestral force but not difficult to listen to
A reflective piece based on WW1 and whilst not the most complex of works I think it achieves its aim


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## techniquest (Aug 3, 2012)

I have the Naxos recording. Listening to this symphony for the first time, I found it interesting and engaging - far more than some more popular and well-known symphonies.
I was interested by the marking of the 2nd movement - andantino. I understand that this means a little faster than andante, but I found that in this recording it really is faster; more allegretto than andantino. I haven't listened to another recording to compare it with, so maybe that's just how it should be, and let's face it the Sao Paulo SO ought to be the ones to get it right. Anyway - an enjoyable Saturday Symphony, thanks RDB


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## Weird Heather (Aug 24, 2016)

I listened to the YouTube link since I don't have it in my collection. I might add more music by Villa-Lobos the next time I buy music, but I already have some of his chamber music, which I find to be more memorable than this symphony.

I liked this symphony, but like many of the other relatively accessible 20th century works that have featured here in recent weeks, it doesn't really stand out from the crowd. It is successful and satisfying, but it lacks that extra intangible "spark" that would make it truly memorable. However, since I generally like this style of music, I may well decide that it is worth adding to my collection.


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## leonsm (Jan 15, 2011)

I'm listening the São Paulo SO/Karabtchevsky version. It's a very pleasant symphony, it's the second part of the War Trilogy he composed right after th Great War. The 3rd movt. is great.

I prefer, however, the Symphony no. 3 (CPO/St. Clair is quite nice, with a more soft 3rd movt.).


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## bisque (Jul 23, 2017)

Late to the party here - but the CPO Carl St. Clair series is MUCH preferable to the Naxos in every way, especially the sound. It's an amazing set and I'm sorry, Villa-Lobos OC naysayer, but the funny thing about music is that it's subjective and what you find a crashing bore others find to be unique and masterful, but then I find all his music that way. Funny how that works  The complete CPO set can be had reasonably and is well worth everyone's time.


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## Jim Norton (Sep 14, 2020)

I'd have to listen to this symphony more than once to really "get it", but what is immediately obvious is that VL is a first-rate orchestrator, right in the class with Rimsky and Ravel.


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