Trem Caipira

by Alvaro NederThis is the Cd reissue of an album recorded in 1985. It has highs and lows. The highs are the superb compositions of Heitor Villa-Lobos, Brazil's best classical composer of all time; the desire (and courage) of Egberto' in proposing himself to freely adapt these masterpieces (for which he had to get the approval and personal cooperation of Mindinha Villa-Lobos, the maestro's widow, who asked in person for the publishers' clearance); and the excellent performance of the orchestra and band's musicians. "Pobre cega" is the highest point in the album: under a faithful theme exposure, Egberto added a typical percussive set, which really expanded the interest of the original music. The lows are the dated synthesizer timbres and the misconception of some treatments (as in "Dansa" and "Cantiga") which sometimes recall Rick Wakeman and his progressive rock. The album really doesn't add much to Villa-Lobos' music, but is a touching manifestation of respect and admiration.