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Heitor Villa-Lobos: The Brazilian Bach Part 4
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By Joe Lopes
Here is part 4 of Joe's article about the Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos. To read the previous parts click the relevant links at the end of the article.
Broadway Bound
The sparse operatic content of Brazil‘s foremost musical apologist was indeed cause for much consternation among lovers of great music for the lyric stage.
Apart from his preoccupation with the national consciousness, this absence was likely due to the composer having spread himself thin across the musical landscape through his total involvement in, and complete dedication to, multiple educational and extra-musical projects, such as the Superintendency of Artistic and Musical Education, or SEMA, in 1933; the organization of the Conservatório Nacional de Canto Orfeónico (National Conservatory for Choral Singing) in 1942; and the Presidency of the Brazilian Academy of Music, which he founded in 1945 and served until his death in November 1959.
All this non-stop activity, however, did not hinder Villa-Lobos from composing, which after all came naturally to him, and was considered as normal an everyday function as dining out with friends, smoking Cuban cigars, or shooting pool, his favorite hobby.
A little known aspect of the Brazilian‘s overseas experiences involved his first tour of the United States, where, in 1944, he was invited to conduct a concert of his works at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, California. Incredibly, a newly formed American appreciation for the composer‘s music eventually paved the way for the 1948 Broadway production of Magdalena, his "musical adventure in two acts."
The background of the work‘s evolution is an intriguing yet light-hearted tale of behind-the-scenes bickering and bantering, well documented in the excellent essay, "Villa-Lobos on Broadway," by Brazilian conductor Ricardo Prado.
The show, which was rearranged by the team of Robert Wright and George Forrest (who also gave Broadway the hit musicals Song of Norway and Kismet) has been somewhat inaccurately described as a south of the border rip-off of Franz Lehár‘s The Merry Widow - a Viennese operetta without the schmaltz. It came at an especially trying time for the composer, who was diagnosed with cancer and immediately hospitalized at Memorial Hospital in New York, on the same night as the premiere. A simultaneous musician‘s strike called soon after the opening crippled plans to broadcast radio excerpts and record the original-cast album, de rigueur for shows back then.
The wonderful cast assembled for the run featured Metropolitan Opera star Irra Petina, theater actor John Raitt (of Carousel fame), soprano Dorothy Sarnoff, and Czech actor-director Hugo Haas. Boasting an elaborate plot and exotic South American locale (Colombia, not Copacabana), this lively Latin extravaganza basically revamped many of Villa-Lobos‘ previous themes, with the music taken in part from sections of the Bachianas, as well as the folk arrangements to be found in his Guia Prático (Practical Guide, 1932).
Despite favorable reviews, the musical came and went in less than three months. It has since been revived several times throughout the US, and there even exists a hard-to-find Sony recording of a live 1987 Lincoln Center concert performance, in honor of the centennial of the composer‘s birth. But for all intents and purposes, Magdalena remains comparatively unknown, even in its native Brazil - a regrettable oversight.
Part 5 next week...
Copyright © 2007 by Josmar F. Lopes
A naturalized American citizen born in Brazil, Joe Lopes was raised and educated in New York City, where he worked for many years in the financial sector. In 1996, he moved to Brazil with his wife and daughters. In 2001, he returned to the U.S. and now resides in North Carolina with his family. You can email your comments to JosmarLopes@msn.com.
To read previous articles by Joe Lopes click below:
Heitor Villa-Lobos: The Brazilian Bach Part 3
Heitor Villa-Lobos: The Brazilian Bach Part 2
Heitor Villa-Lobos: The Brazilian Bach Part 1
Two Brazilian Charmers Part 11
Two Brazilian Charmers Part 10
Two Brazilian Charmers Part 9
Two Brazilian Charmers Part 8
Two Brazilian Charmers Part 7
Two Brazilian Charmers Part 6
Two Brazilian Charmers Part 5
Two Brazilian Charmers Part 4
Two Brazilian Charmers Part 3
Two Brazilian Charmers Part 2
Two Brazilian Charmers Part 1
Teaching English In Brazil Part 21
Teaching English In Brazil Part 20
Teaching English In Brazil Part 19
Teaching English In Brazil Part 18
Teaching English In Brazil Part 17
Teaching English In Brazil Part 16
Teaching English In Brazil Part 15
Teaching English In Brazil Part 14
Teaching English In Brazil Part 13
Teaching English In Brazil Part 12
Teaching English In Brazil Part 11
Brazil: Thrills, Spills, and... Oh Yes, No Ifs, Ands or Head-Butts, Please
Teaching English In Brazil Part 10
Teaching English In Brazil Part 9
Brazil: A Fever Called Corinthians Part 4
Brazil: Taking Flight on Florencia‘s Fragile Wings Part 4
Brazil: A Fever Called Corinthians Part 3
Brazilian World Cup Debacle: Just Wait Till 2010! Part 2
Brazilian World Cup Debacle: Just Wait Till 2010! Part 1
Brazil: Taking Flight on Florencia‘s Fragile Wings Part 3
Brazil: A Fever Called Corinthians Part 2
Brazil: Taking Flight on Florencia's Fragile Wings Part 2
Brazil: A Fever Called Corinthians Part 1
Brazil: Taking Flight on Florencia‘s Fragile Wings Part 1
Teaching English In Brazil Part 8
Teaching English In Brazil Part 7
Teaching English In Brazil Part 6
Teaching English In Brazil Part 5
Teaching English In Brazil Part 4
Teaching English In Brazil Part 3
Teaching English In Brazil Part 2
A German Ring in the Brazilian Rainforest Part 4
A German Ring in the Brazilian Rainforest Part 3
Teaching English In Brazil - Part I
A German Ring in the Brazilian Rainforest Part 2
A German Ring in the Brazilian Rainforest Part 1
"Down in Brazil," with Michael Franks Part 3
"Down in Brazil," with Michael Franks Part 2
"Down in Brazil," with Michael Franks Part 1
Brazil: A Candid Talk with Gerald Thomas
Getting to the "bottom" of Brazil‘s Gerald Thomas
A Brazilian Diva Torn Between Europe and Brazil
The Enraged Genius of Brazil's Maestro Neschling
A German Ring in the Brazilian Rainforest
Brazil‘s Musical Polyglots: What Was That You Were Singing?
Did Bossa Nova Kill Opera in Brazil?
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1/31/2007
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