Brazil

"Brazil" was inspired by the music of native composer, Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887-1959). His "Chôros No. 10," written in 1926, is a musical extravaganza, unlike anything this listener has experienced before or since.

"The composer's aim in this tone poem," wrote David Wright, "...was to evoke not just the life of Brazil's European style cities, nor the spiritual character of the Indian rain forest, but to bring both together in a meaningful encounter...His materials—Indian chants, bird songs, and urban dance rhythms—have not lost their freshness and power, and this self-taught composer's handling of large orchestral and choral forces is nothing short of spectacular."

Listening to "Chôros No. 10," I feel as though I've seen Brazil, without actually having visited the country. Indeed, the composition is so evocative, so intoxicating, the images pretty much suggest themselves. I therefore attempted to capture that experience through the use of still photos, which I'd collected, then animated and synchronized with the music. My goal in this, my most ambitious video to date, was to emulate the spirit of Villa-Lobos' creation by incorporating Brazilian art, religion, city life, nature and the carnival (as the composer himself had done), and weaving them into a visual tour-de-force that would do justice his masterpiece...as well as the land and culture(s) that spawned it.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• music
• videos
• Brazil
• Villa-Lobos
• South
• America