Twelfth Night Ensemble: Journey Through Brazil

Program Notes

Tonight’s program is titled Journey through Brazil, but in reality what the audience will hear could also be called Journey through the World as heard by Brazilian Ears. The reason is that Brazil, a continental-sized country, is the home to what is arguably the longest ongoing human project of ethnic and cultural miscegenation in the history of the world. Since 1500, Brazil has been the recipient of wave upon wave of immigrants (voluntary or not), bringing with them their own languages, habits and most importantly in our case, music.

In this program pieces by composers like Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741) coexist happily alongside music by Chiquinha Gonzaga (1847-1935) and Ricardo Herz (born in 1978). As you enjoy this diversity of musical colors and flavors, it will become evident that its curation is a clever pairing of rhythms and notes, evoking a virtual tour of Brazil through the centuries.

Because of its unique situation as a Portuguese colony since 1500 and then temporarily becoming the first New World seat of the imperial family in the early 19^th century, Brazil enjoyed a steady influx of music and musicians from Africa, Europe and the Middle East, creating a blend that defined what sounds “Brazilian”. Since the Portuguese court had a direct relationship with the Austro-Hungarian empire, several musicians from Vienna came to Brazil in the early 1800s and taught music to the children of the nobility. Sound travels through walls, and soon there were orchestras comprised of enslaved humans from Africa who learned the common classical repertoire, both by ear and by reading scores.

Did you know that there is a Brazilian baroque tradition contemporary with the German baroque in the 18^th century which evolved in the churches of Minas Gerais state, following the discovery of gold in the mountains?

This rich amalgam gave rise to the tradition of choro music in the late 19^th century, crossing from the salons to the streets, creating a mix of European and African musical languages. Heitor Villa-Lobos drank from this source, hanging out with masters such as the great Pixinguinha (Alfredo da Rocha Viana Filho, 1897-1973) and bringing his beautiful Bachianas Brasileiras and his many Choros into the concert halls.

Brazil’s rich and mostly misunderstood cultural legacy is slowly being discovered and appreciated around the world. Tonight, you will hear works from noted female Brazilian composers Chiquinha Gonzaga and Wanessa Dourado, forró music from Sivuca and Glorinha Gadelha, and enjoy styles such as Frevo (Duda no Frevo), Afro-sambas by Baden Powell and Vinícius de Moraes, Bossa Nova from the master Antonio Carlos Jobim and many more. You will travel through thousands of miles and hundreds of years without leaving your seat, while enjoying the sounds of all these master composers and interpreters whose music is brought to your ears.

Enjoy!

—Jovino Santos Neto