RESTORING THE PIECE:
VILLA-LOBOS
and the neglected guitar manuscripts
8.573117
Heitor VILLA-LOBOS (1887–1959)
The Guitar Manuscripts:
Masterpieces and Lost Works, Vol. 3
Andrea Bissoli, Guitar • Ensemble CirandinhaMinas Gerais Philharmonic Orchestra • Fabio Mechetti
The genesis of Heitor Villa-Lobos’s Études goes back to his first meeting with the Andrés Segovia, at which the legendary guitarist asked for one étude and the composer ended up writing twelve. Andrea Bissoli returns to the original 1928 manuscript, restoring elements lost in later publication and reliving the magic of those times on an instrument almost identical to Segovia’s. The Tarantela was probably also written guitar in hand. For his ‘folk ensemble’ instrumentation of the brightly coloured songs of the Guia prático, Bissoli has sought out traces of the guitar in the original and chosen a selection of pieces tailor-made for his instrument. The exciting story of O papagaio do moleque (The Little Boy’s Kite) concludes this third and final volume of the series.
About Andrea Bissoli
The Italian guitarist Andrea Bissoli studied with Stefano Grondona, Laura Mondiello, Paul Galbraith, Oscar Ghiglia and Alirio Díaz, and has won awards at several guitar competitions in his native Italy, including the Premio Città di Parma, Premio Nazionale delle Arti, Città di Voghera, Città di Arezzo, A.GI.MUS. and Rocco Peruggini. In 2006 he started the guitar duo Phèdre Adroit with Federica Artuso. Their repertoire includes an all-Villa-Lobos programme of unpublished transcriptions for two guitars made by Andrea Bissoli. He has studied the works of Villa-Lobos for some nine years, and has written articles for Il Fronimo.
About Fabio Mechetti
Fabio Mechetti was born in São Paulo and has been Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the Minas Gerais Philharmonic Orchestra since its formation in 2008. He has also been Music Director and Principal Conductor of the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra (USA) since 1999. He was formerly the Conductor of the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra and the Spokane Symphony Orchestra, where he is now its Conductor Emeritus. He made his début conducting the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra at Carnegie Hall in New York. He holds a Master’s degree in Conducting and in Composition from the prestigious Juilliard School in New York.
About the Minas Gerais Philharmonic Orchestra
The Minas Gerais Philharmonic Orchestra was created in 2008 for the promotion of orchestral music in the State of Minas Gerais and elsewhere, nationally and internationally. Artistic excellence and dynamic programming are at the heart of the orchestra’s work. With ninety musicians from all over Brazil, Europe, Asia and the Americas, the orchestra has won recognition, particularly through the 2012 Carlos Gomes Award for best Brazilian orchestra, and its selection in 2010 as the best classical music ensemble of the year by the São Paulo Art Critics Association (APCA). In 2009 its music director and principal conductor, Fabio Mechetti, was honoured with the Carlos Gomes Award for best Brazilian conductor.
PREVIOUS RELEASES
Guitar Concerto: I. Allegro preciso
8.573115
“This is a valuable release and belongs in the collection of any who likes
Villa-Lobos.”
– American Record Guide
Introduction to the Choros
8.573116
“The performances are uniformly captivating and the recording quality
is excellent… Conductor Mechetti evidently knows and loves these
scores, finding much variety and nuance.”
– Fanfare