Complete String Quartets

"Bearing comparison with those of Bartók, Shostakovich or Simpson and containing some of his finest music - 1942's Seventh - Villa-Lobos's quartets are not as well known as they should be. The Latin American's performances are a match for the Danubius (Marco Polo) and preferable to the Bessler-Reis (Le Chant du Monde), whose survey was left incomplete."
(Gramophone Magazine)

Heitor Villa Lobos (1887-1959) was arguably the most important composer of Brazil. His prolific output includes hundreds of opus numbers, on which basis he is sometimes discarded as a pulp writer, but nothing is farther from the truth. His style is extremely varied, from the obvious Latin-American rhythms-influenced jazzy style to more expressionist "European" idiom, comparable to for instance Frenchman Roussel or Czech Martinu.

His 17 String quartets follow closely his compositional development, and are fully representative of his art and genius. This is the first time that all 17 are included in one set.Wonderfully idiomatic, razor-sharp performances by the Cuarteto Latino Americano.Issued under the non-exclusive license of the Dorian Music Group Ltd.