Villa-Lobos

Choros—No Ia; No4b; No ó; No 8;No9d aFabio Zanon gtr bDante Yenque, b0zeas Arantes, b5atnuel Hamzem hn bDarren Coleman Milling bass trb CLinda Bustani, clan Rechtmanpfi dSão Paulo Symphony Orchestra /John Neschling BIS © BIS-CD1 450(81' • DDD)

ChôrosNos 1, 4 c 6—selected comparison:

Gi lin Canana P0, Leaper (2104) (ASV) CDDCA1 150 Chôros Nos 8 & 9—selected comparison:

Hong Kong P0, Schemerhorn (2104) (MARC) 8 220322

How many Chôros are there? Fourteen numbered examples (with two claimed as "lost"), two Chôros bis, a Wind Quintet enforme de Chôros and a concluding (!) choral-and-orchestral "Introduction to the Chôros", all more or less from the 1920s. Nos 6 (1926), which opens this second volume of BIS's survey, and 9 (1929) may not have been written down until 1942 in time for their Rio premieres. Villa-Lobos was unreliable about many details of his work and these would not be unique in his output in being created only when performances finally materialised.

Whenever it was set down, the Sixth is a hugely engaging, if sprawling, orchestral fantasia and like the Eighth (written and premiered between 1925 and 1927) and Ninth, was scored for large orchestra using exotic local percussion instruments. The Eighth is far more barbaric in character, tailored for the fad for primitivism then fashionable in Paris (where it was written), with parts for two pianos. Yet this is no concerto in disguise; although the first is a melodic soloist, the second is deployed as a percussive instrument and both orchestrally. BIS provides a clearer balance than Marco Polo on Schermerhorn's pioneering account and while the latter still sounds fine, the newcomer is clearly superior.

Neschling and the São Paulo SO edge the decision in the Ninth too, which lies expressively between Nos 6 and 8. Separating these difficult orchestral works come the First for guitar (1920-2 1) and Fourth for brass (1926). I have heard crisper performances of the latter, but Fabio Zanon's of the well known First is really rather good, languid and wistful, the tempi vibrantly elastic. After the excellent previous volume (6/08), this successor - as well played as ASV's still incomplete rival survey - augurs well for what will presumably be the final instalment. Guy Rickards