Evanston: Don’t Cry for Osvaldo Golijov
Evanston: Don’t Cry for Osvaldo Golijov
An article in Salon dated January 2006 says that Osvaldo Golijov is the best-kept secret in contemporary music and that probably not more than nine people outside the music business know his name. Well, that was then.
Golijov, who was born in Argentina of Jewish parents, won two 2006 Grammies for his opera, AINADAMAR--Best Classical Contemporary Composition and Best Opera Recording; has connections with Tanglewood and Lincoln Center; and is co-composer in residence for the Chicago Symphony. He has received a $500,000 MacArthur Foundation ‘genius’ grant. And, most prestigiously and importantly, has been mentioned in an iTunes email, as I noted last week.
I enjoyed OCEANA enough so that after some online research, I downloaded three more of his works, AYRE, which consists of arrangements of folk-songs from various parts of the world; AINADAMAR; and SAINT MARK’S PASSION.
AINADAMAR, which means “Fountain of Tears”, is about the execution of the poet/playwright, Frederico Garcia Lorca, during the Spanish Civil War.
Although Golijov says the decisive moment in his musical development was hearing the Argentinean composer, Astor Piazzolla, who brought the tango into the classical repertoire, play his own music; AINADAMAR sounds Spanish to me. There is something of each of the three cultures that once co-existed there: Spanish, Moorish, and Jewish.
Not everyone appreciated Piazzolla meddling with the tango. The Salon article mentions a popular Buenos Aires story of a taxi driver who refused to let Piazzolla ride in his cab.
SAINT MARK’S PASSION is even more eclectic. While predominately Spanish, there are obvious Cuban and Brazilian influences.
Parts of both AINADMAR and SAINT MARK’S PASSION remind me of MISA FLAMENCA by the Spanish guitarist, Paco Pena.
Golijov’s music is unusual, exotic, interesting, and much of it is beautiful.
More than nine people know of Golijov now. At the very least, I’m ten and you’re eleven.
Tuesday, July 24, 2007