Heitor Villa-Lobos was one of the foremost figures of Brazilian classical music of the early 20th century. His mostly self-taught writing style merges rhythmic ideas of Stravinsky with baroque dances, French theory and 18th century counterpoint. He was also a strong nationalist who found common ground between Brazilian folk music and the classical tradition, a technique which would eventually generate his well-loved series Bachianas Brasileras. This 1956 recording features four of the nine J.S. Bach-inspired classics, conducted by Villa-Lobos himself. It also contains arguably the best recording of his famous Bachianas, No. 5 for soprano and 8 cellos.