Brazil

Brazil's concert music includes the work of Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887–1959), whose compositions brought Brazilian musical material into dialogue with European forms. His Chôros explore a wide range of instrumental combinations, while the nine Bachianas brasileiras, composed between 1930 and 1945, connect Brazilian idioms with the musical world of Bach.

The country's orchestral and operatic life is also reflected in its performance spaces. Rio de Janeiro's Theatro Municipal opened on 14 July 1909, its design drawing inspiration from Charles Garnier's Paris Opéra. In São Paulo, the state symphony orchestra acquired its home at Sala São Paulo on 9 July 1999. Created within a railway-station building, the hall opened with Mahler's Second Symphony under John Neschling. Its conversion joined the preservation of historic architecture with the acoustic requirements of orchestral performance.