Piano Music Vol 4: Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4 / Children's Carnival

His role as an ambassador of Brazilian and Latin American culture was recognised by critics and fellow composers both in Europe and the United States, a perception that was further consolidated by the array of international prizes, honorary titles, and tributes that began to accumulate. Indeed no other Brazilian composer has achieved a comparable degree of universal recognition. The works recorded in this volume again offer a comprehensive sample of the genres and styles found in Villa-Lobos's piano music, principally character pieces, single or organized into suites or collections. They reveal a bewildering variety of formal procedures, but pieces belonging to the same genre often share some structural framework that influences not only the nature of the musical material but also the dimensions of the work. This volume contains three single works and four cycles or suites.

The Poema Singelo is a strikingly beautiful work, which unfortunately is not as well known as it deserves. It is cast in the form and style of a waltz, and was composed sometime between 1938 (the date given in the catalogue of Villa-Lobos's works) and 1942 (the date written on the final score). It is possible that, as has happened with other Villa-Lobos's works, he estimated the date of completion while still working on the piece, or even without having begun composing it. The structure includes elements of rondo which are subsumed into a larger ABACA pattern, but there is enough variation within the several sections to give it a more rhapsodic and improvisational character. The simple melody on which the three outer sections are based is the primary musical element that accounts for the title of the composition; in the C section, touches of humor and playfulness enliven the musical texture, while the brilliance of the piano figurations eventually obliterates the waltz character established at the beginning. The B section is particularly noteworthy due to its lavish romanticism, an outpouring of emotion that is like a declaration of love to the composer's companion, Arminda, who was the dedicatee of the work. In scope and depth of expression, the Poema Singelo is comparable to Impressoes Seresteiras from the Ciclo Brasileiro (Naxos 8.555286).