For Classic Latin we turn to the classical music of Latin America, an extraordinarily rich musical tradition that has been of particular interest to the American Symphonia over the past several years. The highlight of the program will be a performance by Ms. Jette and a Symphonia cello ensemble of Brazilian Heitor Villa-Lobos' phenomenal Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5 for voice and 8 cellos (1938 & 1945). Inspired by Bach’s mastery of counterpoint, the Bachianas Brasileiras (which translates, roughly, "Brazilian pieces in the style of Bach") is a cycle of 9 pieces that contains some of Villa-Lobos' most popular music and of these the unusually-orchestrated No. 5 is the most famous. The piece has two movements written 7 years apart, each (as is true for all of the Bachianas Brasileiras) with both a European and a Brazilian title. The Aria (Cantileña) is a wordless vocalise with a central section set to a poem by Ruth Valadares Correia. The Dansa (Martelo) has a text by the poet Manuel Bandeira. In The Shedd Concert Hall, which responds with especial sonority to low strings, the effect should be gorgeous. The program also includes works by Alberto Ginastera (Argentina), Rodolfo Halffter (Mexico), Carlos Chávez (Mexico), José Rolón (Mexico), Montserrat Campmany (Argentina), Carlos Guastavino (Argentina), Joaquin Nin-Culmell (Cuba), and Modesta Bor (Cuba).