The harmonica, an instrument often associated with folk lore, attracted noted composers like Darius Milhaud, Ralph Vaughan Williams, and Heitor Villa-Lobos to write works for it.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Heitor Villa-Lobos composed his famous nine Bachianas Brasileiras as an homage to J.S. Bach, blending Brazilian folk elements with Baroque forms.
Composition History
The Villa-Lobos Harmonica Concerto was written in 1955 for American virtuoso John Sebastian and premiered in Jerusalem in 1959.
Composer Biography
Heitor Villa-Lobos, a Brazilian composer, traveled into the Brazilian jungle in his 20s to study Indian folk music, which became the basis for his compositions.
Performer Biography
Robert Bonfiglio, the harmonica soloist on this album, has been called 'the Paganini of the harmonica' by the Los Angeles Times.
Performer Biography
Robert Bonfiglio has performed the Villa-Lobos Harmonica Concerto over 400 times with major orchestras worldwide.
Recording & Production
Several pieces on this album, including Remeiro de São Francisco, were adapted from Villa-Lobos's folk operetta Magdalena, which opened in Los Angeles in 1948.
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