I reached the end. The last prelude, the last solo movement (apart from unpublished pieces, sketches and other things, that I chose not to include in this project). It's a slightly weird feeling after such a long haul, but I must admit to looking forward to a blog-free next week, while I contemplate my next move on the Villa-Lobos journey. Apart from playing all the pieces again and again and again, as one does..
I have not spent many words on an often heard aspect of the preludes - the subtitles, which originate from Villa-Lobos himself, but are not incuded in the published editions. These are quite interesting, as they offer interesting suggestions for those performers and/ or listeners whose performance and experience is heigthened by mental images. In this post, that concludes my playthrough of these pieces, I will offer my two-cents on how these subtitles connect with the music in my mind, when I play it.
Prelude no. 1 is called " Lyric Melody - Hommage to the Brazilian Sertanejos". For those, that are not Brazilian themselves, I should probably mention, that a Sertanejo is a man from the Sertão-region, where the main occupation for the male population, as I understand it, is more or less similar to the North American Cowboys; in a Brazilian way, that is... I hear the open ranges and the solitude of the riding man in the slow parts, and the bar-visits that are the favourite passtime on the rare occasion of time off, in the faster major section.
Prelude no. 2 also carries the more pictoresque double subtitle "Capadocia and Capoeira-melody/ Hommage to the Capoeira-hustler". Capadocias and Capoeiras are rogues and ruffians; in some paces, i have seen them described as mafia-like. I hear the melody, with it's many tempo changes and sudden insertions of "wrong notes" in it's otherwise very straight-forward imagery of sound, as a musical incarnation of the apparent friendlyness of such people, with an underlying current of violence for he, who is not careful. On the few occasion, where I have had the chance to witness Capoeira dancing, I get the same sense of something elegant and seemingly harmless, that has a frightening potential for causing harm.
As mentioned, Prelude no 3 is "Hommage to bach". I wrote about this in the post concerning cet prelude.
Prelude no. 4 is called: "Hommage to the Brazilian Indians" The sad and simple melody talk of a refined, but not - in a western sense - developed culture, of te grandeur of nature, and things along those lines. The fast section bears witness to the savageness needed to keep a tribe alive.
Prelude no. 5 is called "Hommage to social life - to the young teenagers, who frequent Rio's concerts and thatres". light melodies, youthful lightness of mind.
In essence, I feel that such images are highly unneccesary, when it comes to music. If it's played with nerve and emotion, that is always enough. On the other hand, I often find, that the fastest way to get there for me often is, to imagine imagery and stories. I usually let my audience form their own images and stories though, rather than forcing my own on them by saying thm out loud!
Thank you, to those who have followed me this far. Next week os Lobos-free, and then I'll be back with details on my further process.
Prelude no 5 from Thomas Lyng Poulsen on Vimeo.
Direct link to video
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