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Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
This stunning new CD of music by Argentine composer Osvaldo Golijov is a beauty. The title work, Oceana, is scored for instruments (with prominent guitars and percussion), chorus, and solo vocalist (here, the remarkable samba and jazz stylist Luciana Souza). It sets a poem by Pablo Neruda that praises the transcendent power and beauty of the ocean. Filled with dancing rhythms, the work ebbs and flows, ever-moving and fascinating at every turn. The Kronos Quartet then plays Tenebrae, a two-movement lamentation with long, almost Verdian melodies. Three Songs, sung by Dawn Upshaw, ends the CD. One is a tale about the sad fate of Jews and Gypsies during World War II. The second, "Colorless Moon," is a stunning dirge, and the last, a poem by Emily Dickinson, is also a lament about the inevitability of death. Please don't assume from these descriptions that this disc is depressing. This is stunning, original music that uplifts, and it is performed superbly by all involved. A must. --Robert Levine
Product Description
Oceana is the key work of this album, a composition for orchestra, three guitars, harp and voice, filled with Latin and jazz sounds. It is performed by the acclaimed Los Angeles Guitar Quartet, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra under conductor Robert Spano (also on Ainadamar), and the multiple Grammy® nominated Brazilian jazz singer Luciana Souza. This piece was Golijov's first commission of a choral work in the spirit of J.S. Bach and became a source of inspiration for La Pasión según San Marcos (St. Mark Passion), a future release on DG.
Tenebrae is a collaboration with the famous Kronos Quartet--one of the most influential ensembles of our time. The meditative work in two movements "is about pain," says Golijov, "but pain seen from inside and from a distance." Despite being Golijov's reflection on today's tormented world, Tenebrae is a work of radiant beauty that offers consolation and a prayer for peace.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
69 of 75 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Argentine born Osvaldo Golijov is one of today's more important composers, a gifted artist who is unafraid to combine elements of jazz, ritual, Latin American rhythms, and Jewish elements in his disparate works. At times critics of his work point a finger to his excesses, but that has been done before (Mahler, Strauss, Rachmaninov, etc) and the composers find the golden mean that makes their music durable.
This recording combines three quite different works. The title piece is bristling with percussion and guitars and some very sensuous singing by Luciana Souza as well as choral work (the Gwinnett Young Singers) and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chorus conducted by Robert Spano. It is theatrical, exhilarating, and endlessly exciting. The second work 'Tenebrae' is a work that deals with inner sadness and is played with consummate skill by the Kronos Quartet. Despite the elegiac aspect of the music it is never less than beautiful and actually uplifting, full of hope.
The final set 'Three Songs' is quite simply a masterpiece. Set to three poems by Sally Potter, Rosalia de Castro and Emily Dickinson, the work is for soprano and full orchestra and while the texts deal with tragedy and death, the emotional response to this elegant writing is transcendentally beautiful. Dawn Upshaw owns this cycle and this recording one of her most beautiful - in a collection of splendid recordings! For this listener this work is the most successful and most moving on the CD. Golijov is young and already a master. One wonders what he will embrace next! Grady Harp, January 08
This recording combines three quite different works. The title piece is bristling with percussion and guitars and some very sensuous singing by Luciana Souza as well as choral work (the Gwinnett Young Singers) and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chorus conducted by Robert Spano. It is theatrical, exhilarating, and endlessly exciting. The second work 'Tenebrae' is a work that deals with inner sadness and is played with consummate skill by the Kronos Quartet. Despite the elegiac aspect of the music it is never less than beautiful and actually uplifting, full of hope.
The final set 'Three Songs' is quite simply a masterpiece. Set to three poems by Sally Potter, Rosalia de Castro and Emily Dickinson, the work is for soprano and full orchestra and while the texts deal with tragedy and death, the emotional response to this elegant writing is transcendentally beautiful. Dawn Upshaw owns this cycle and this recording one of her most beautiful - in a collection of splendid recordings! For this listener this work is the most successful and most moving on the CD. Golijov is young and already a master. One wonders what he will embrace next! Grady Harp, January 08
35 of 36 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
What amazes me when I listen to this disc--as I've probably done half a dozen times this week--is how much trouble I've had finding the words to describe it accurately.
Part of the "problem"--and it is clearly mine, not the music's--is that the music is simultaneously utterly different from anything I've listened to, and yet reminiscent of so many composers--just to name a few, I was reminded of John Adams' "Harmonium" and Heitor Villa-Lobos' "Bachianas Brasileiras" in "Oceana", Bach and Verdi in "Tenebrae," and Bernstein and Gershwin in "Three Songs."
And, of course, it is not possible to discuss this CD without talking about Golijov's two muses--Luciana Souza in "Oceana," and Dawn Upshaw in "Three Songs." I don't think I can even imagine anyone else performing either of these works nearly as well as these two women do. And, like so many of their other recordings, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (and Chorus, for "Oceana") perform admirably.
In fact, I can think of only one "negative" about this CD at all, and that is the remarkably high pickup on the recording. At just half-volume on my speakers, the climaxes of "Oceana" were almost overpowering; I can only imagine what it would be like at full volume in a live performance.
If you're already a fan of Golijov, you should need no further persuasion from me to buy this CD. If you're not, this CD is likely to make you a convert--as it did with me.
Part of the "problem"--and it is clearly mine, not the music's--is that the music is simultaneously utterly different from anything I've listened to, and yet reminiscent of so many composers--just to name a few, I was reminded of John Adams' "Harmonium" and Heitor Villa-Lobos' "Bachianas Brasileiras" in "Oceana", Bach and Verdi in "Tenebrae," and Bernstein and Gershwin in "Three Songs."
And, of course, it is not possible to discuss this CD without talking about Golijov's two muses--Luciana Souza in "Oceana," and Dawn Upshaw in "Three Songs." I don't think I can even imagine anyone else performing either of these works nearly as well as these two women do. And, like so many of their other recordings, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (and Chorus, for "Oceana") perform admirably.
In fact, I can think of only one "negative" about this CD at all, and that is the remarkably high pickup on the recording. At just half-volume on my speakers, the climaxes of "Oceana" were almost overpowering; I can only imagine what it would be like at full volume in a live performance.
If you're already a fan of Golijov, you should need no further persuasion from me to buy this CD. If you're not, this CD is likely to make you a convert--as it did with me.
21 of 23 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
These three pieces of Golijov are important works. The compilation is united by a solemnity and cognition of transience, of memories, of life; the ever changing sea conveying fleeting travelers, the pain and loss of the diaspora and holocaust of Jew and Roma, the arrival and loss of our dreams and our pains, the condition of our small planet in a vast cosmos. The middle piece, wonderfully performed by the Kronos Quartet, for me it the gem of the CD, so tightly composed, each note to the mystical point. Upshaw brings an ethereal quality to the songs, providing tension and its sweet release. Oceana, the first work, has its passionate Latin textures by word and instrument, which brings new discoveries with each listening. While I would prefer an anthology with greater diversity of mood, this CD is rich in sonic treasure.
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
By M. Wahlquist
Format:Audio CD
Golijov is one of the best composers of art music out there today. His style has been called 'maximalist' in other reviews, which I understand to mean he incorporates a vast variety of stylistic influences into his music. Oceana was composed for a Bach festival, and the choral movements especially reflect that. But latin, flamenco, and other modern techniques are used in a manner that is less eclectic than cohesively energetic. Bach can be seen again in the piece for string quartet, which is by far the calmest thing for string quartet I've heard from Golijov (check out the CD 'Yiddishbuk' - which shows Golijov's modern and Jewish side). The three songs for orchestra are breathtaking. 'Lua descolorida' can be found in the midst of Golijov's St. Mark Passion, and Lullaby and Doina can be found on the Yiddishbuk CD in instrumental arrangement, but these newly orchestrated versions capture a new tenderness and wild gypsy abandon that aren't as clear in the other versions. 'How slow the wind' in English, is a stunning performance by Dawn Upshaw. That piece is also available as a cello piece on an album by Maya Beiser. This performance gives it a much more 'alive' feel.
All in all, this is a very good recording of several works by Osvaldo Golijov. It gives a good representation of the breadth of his style, from flamenco to minimalism to eastern european. It is essential for anyone who is following Golijov's rise, and a good CD to get aquainted with his music. If you liked Ainadamar, (his opera that won two grammies) you will like this.
The liner notes also promise a new recording of the St. Mark Passion to be released soon!
All in all, this is a very good recording of several works by Osvaldo Golijov. It gives a good representation of the breadth of his style, from flamenco to minimalism to eastern european. It is essential for anyone who is following Golijov's rise, and a good CD to get aquainted with his music. If you liked Ainadamar, (his opera that won two grammies) you will like this.
The liner notes also promise a new recording of the St. Mark Passion to be released soon!
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Golijov delivers more great Golijov
When I first listened to this album, I felt pretty critical and judgemental. "Golijov is rehashing his own stuff here, this sounds too much like 'La Pasion'", I thought. Read more
Published 29 days ago by T. Fisher
5.0 out of 5 stars
Golijov masterpiece
Refreshing, lovely, sometimes strange (foreign) music that has grown and grown on me. Beautiful. lush sound. I highly recommend it!.
Published 6 months ago by Jerome S. Shull
4.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent CD
This one of my favorite CDs and it is played frequently. The overall sound quality is top-notch. Excellent recording and mastering. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Stubobb
5.0 out of 5 stars
Oceana
I like how Golijov worked with the different ensembles: adult & children choirs, percussion, but most of all, how he put in the classical guitar duo, with two great ones, Scott... Read more
Published on May 18, 2010 by H. Rodriguez
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excelent music from an excelent composer
Since a little more than ten years, Osvaldo Golijov has become one of the most renowned composers alive. Read more
Published on May 3, 2009 by Alexis Paez
1.0 out of 5 stars
Drivel
My God, I can't believe this piece of commercial drivel, obviously manufactured with the sole intent of producing a "classical" hit for the masses, is traded as great contemporary... Read more
Published on January 16, 2009 by G. Lentz
2.0 out of 5 stars
Ugh!
I'm a big fan of the Atlanta Symphony and Robert Spano. I also like Dawn Upshaw. And I've heard so much about Golijov that I had to find out what all the hype was about. Read more
Published on December 27, 2008 by Music Is Everything
2.0 out of 5 stars
Derivative pastiche
Golijov is all the rage nowadays. Hailed by the New Yorker and the New York Times as the next big thing in classical music, he has all the right credentials to appeal to our... Read more
Published on July 28, 2008 by Alan A. Elsner
5.0 out of 5 stars
Anyone notice the cover image?
If you're curious, the cover image for this DG release is recycled from Bill Evans and Jim Hall's 1962 'Undercurrent' album.
Published on June 24, 2008 by Greenlight
3.0 out of 5 stars
The songs are the key.
I was very curious about this cd and almost picked it up in a store. I decided to check it out online (where I purchased it after streaming a bit) instead. Read more
Published on February 28, 2008 by Brian M. Evans
