Heitor Villa-Lobos Symphony No 7 andSinfonietta No 1.

Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart des SWR.

Conductor Carl St Clair.

n CPO 999 713-2

I previously reviewed Villa-Lobos' music last year, and my opinion hasn't changed.

These two pieces are a different genre to the Choros and Ciclo Brasileiro that I listened to then, and the rhythm is definitely different.

Symphony No 7 was written in 1945, for a competition in Detroit, Michigan, US and was premiered in London by the London Symphony Orchestra in 1949. It was written for a large orchestra - 37 wind instruments alone!

It is a complex and dramatic work. The four movements paint some vivid tonal pictures.

Sinfonietta No 1 was written early in Villa-Lobos' career, in 1916.

It was dedicated to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and is a classic chamber orchestral piece. The work is based on two themes of Mozart and shows some of the subtle, delicate elegance of Mozart's time.

The Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra (SWR) was instigated by the American military Government in the city in 1945.

The artistic development of the orchestra confounded all and the reputation of this orchestra is known world wide.

The conductor at this time is Texan, Carl St Clair, an advocate of contemporary music, who encourages the commision of new pieces.

This is an unusual CD in that you expect one genre, find another and conclude with the familiar.

Worth a listen.