Post #701237 by OnyaBirri on Wed, Dec 4, 2013 6:58 PM

On 2013-12-03 14:54, Mr. Ho wrote:
i find that Villa Lobo's wanders around a lot with ideas and i don't feel he develops them all the time.

Funny, I've often thought the exact same thing about VL, that he's all over the place. I always assumed that maybe he's developing ideas in subtle ways that aren't obvious unless you study the score.

Do you hear the textural similarities between these two works and selected tracks from Les Baxter's "Tamboo" and "The Sacred Ido?" I will bet you that Les heard these during his musical studies.

Are you familiar with VL's "Forest of the Amazon," a.k.a "Green Mansions?" It was the last thing he did, the proposed score for the (flop) 1959 film "Green Mansions." His score didn't work as written, and it had to be adapted by veteran Hollywood composer Bronislau Kaper (famous for writing "Invitation" and "On Green Dolphin Street"). Kaper's adaptation is FANTASTIC. It is/was available on a limited edition CD, running close to 80 minutes. Very lush and exotic. It is hard to believe that two composers are at work here, it is so seamless.

Angry that his precious art was touched by another composer, VL reworked his film score into a concert piece called "Forest of the Amazon." He recorded a 45-minute version for a United Artists LP that is very good. It made it to CD, but it, too, is out of print and pricey. There have been a few CDs in recent decades of the full 80-minute work, but like you say, it is all over the place. It just drags on and on and on. There is an absolutely gorgeous theme that he uses only once, buried about 3/4 into it. Kaper had the good sense to use it more than that.

Get "Green Mansions" if you can find it for a decent price.

[ Edited by: OnyaBirri 2013-12-04 19:00 ]

[ Edited by: OnyaBirri 2013-12-04 19:01 ]