Different cultures have always had their own forms of music, and "Classical" music, as the term is generally understood, was originally a western European phenomenon. During the last century or so, however, musicians from other continents turned to the challenge of writing in the tradition of "the great composers," generally finding ways to infuse the established forms with elements from their own cultures. The Brazilian Heitor Villa-Lobos was the first South American composer to produce a substantial output in this hybrid style. In fact, "substantial" is hardly an adequate term: Villa-Lobos was extremely prolific, producing hundreds of works in all genres. He was primarily self-taught, but the independence of his musical style has proved to be one of its most appealing characteristics. His primary instruments were the cello, which he played from childhood, and the guitar, of which he became a great master. Unusual interest in composing for these instruments marked his entire career.
The Fantasia for cello and orchestra falls between two more traditional concertos for the instrument, which were written in 1913 and 1953. Each movement of the Fantasia has an ABA’ form, which means that it is in three sections, with the first and third sections similar to one another; generally the divisions between the sections are clear, because the character of each section is so sharply defined. The first movement, with its mysterious, exotic harmonies and soulful cello line, has the sense of a prelude; the second movement, with its whirlwind activity in the solo part, functions as a scherzo. It is the third movement that it psychologically the most complicated. It opens with a long, arching tune over a samba rhythm, but this section comes to a close fairly quickly. Next is another dance, whimsical and rhythmically disorienting. This, too, is gone quickly, giving way to a rhapsodic section where the cello, exploring dark colors throughout the instrument’s range, receives only the barest accompaniment. The orchestra makes a couple of attempts to bring the energy level back up, but the brooding continues, until at last an innocent fluttering is heard in the woodwinds. The cellist then brings back the melody that opened the movement, but it is not until the samba rhythm returns that we are sure of the connection. A brief coda starts out joyfully but soon turns menacing, and the piece ends in ambiguous defiance.