Customer Reviews

Osvaldo Golijov: Ainadamar

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This is a very remarkable opera -the first one- by Osvaldo Golijov. Ainadamar means 'fountain of tears' in Arabic, and it is also the name of an ancient well near Granada, where the poet Federico García Lorca was killed by the fascists in 1936, at the beginning of the Spanish Civil War. The opera is divided in three parts called images: 1. Mariana, 2. Federico, 3. Margarita. Mariana referes to Mariana Pineda, one of the plays Lorca wrote that tells the story of Mariana Pineda, a revolutionary martyr of the 19th century. The second part is about Lorca, from the moment he refuses to go to Cuba with Margarita (and save his life), to the moment he is arrested and killed. The last part is about Margarita Xirgu at the end of his life, when she is keeping the history and the legend of Lorca alive by representing his plays.
In the style of Golijov, this music merges different styles (Jewish, Muslim, and Spanish music). Ruiz Alonso (the arresting officer) is a flamenco singer (Cante Jondo), and Margarita Xirgu is the soprano and Osvaldo's muse Dawn Upshaw. There is a good balance among the three parts of the opera and the three main characters in it (Lorca, Xirgu, and Nuria, a student who will maintain Lorca's life and art alive).
This CD comes with an introduction by Alex Ross and a synopsis by Peter Sellars. The libretto was written by David Henry Hwang in English, and Golijov translated it into Spanish. This is very odd, since the music is sung in Spanish and usually the librettos are written in the language the music is going to be sung. Also, the CD contains pictures of Golijov, Upshaw (2), Lorca, Xirgu, and two stage pictures of a live representation. The CD cover (as you can see) represents Margarita Xirgu in tears in the style of Lorca's drawings. It was designed by Hisako Moriyama. This CD is a world premiere recording by the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra directed by Robert Spano and I strongly recommend it to opera aficionados, classical music lovers, and anybody interested in Lorca and the Spanish Civil War. Thanks for reading.
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'Ainadamar' is a breathtakingly beautiful work for voices and orchestra and while it is conceived and has been performed as a stage work (aka 'opera'), this listener has not had the privilege of seeing that form of this new work by Osvaldo Golijov. And that factor as its drawbacks and its advantages: without relying on the visuals of a stage production the music on this very well produced CD allows total commitment to the music values alone. The music is exquisite!

Based on a libretto written by David Henry Hwang, the work is sung in Spanish and relates a moment in time when Margarita Xirgu, an actress and collaborator with the immensely gifted poet and writer Federico Garcia Lorca, recalls his presence and influence and death. There is little more narrative than that, but from that bare bones outline blossoms some of the most successful music that the gifted Golijov has written to date. There are bits of ethereal orchestration suffused with dance rhythms and that plaintive line known best to flamenco singers.
The arias/melodies are created in the most compelling manner - the voice growing organically from the various instrumentations at Golijov's seemingly endless disposal.

Margarita is sung here by the incomparable Dawn Upshaw in a signature performance: the quality and purity of her tone and timbre of her voice embrace Golijov's lines with complete ease and commitment. She is a wonder here. The role of Lorca is a trouser role sung with compelling beauty by Kelley O'Connor. The remainder of the rather small cast all sing and perform well and the entire performance is molded to perfection by conductor Robert Spano with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and chorus (the women's voices only). It is an enviable achievement.

Golijov grows each year as a composer and with this works he enters the highest echelon of contemporary classical music composers. Hearing 'Ainadamar' results in immediately listening again, as though what has just been heard could not possibly have been that fine. But it is. Highly Recommended. Grady Harp, September 06

Golijov has been experimenting for several years now with the synthesis of ouvertly Ibero-American genres and contemporary music textures. This work is his most successful so far in this vein, in my opinion, given that the compositional choices express the content of the libretto with conviction and without incongruences. The work can be described as a secular passion play, not only by its structure as a set of three ritualized remembrance vignettes in which the actress Margarita Xirgu is both a narrator and actor; but also due to its exploration of the sacrifice of Lorca to fascism; the personal anguish of Margarita's existential choices; and Lorca's posthumous iconic stature as the inspiration of countless musical and theatrical works by artists from all over the world. These topics address eternal concerns about heroic clashes between the artist and society, and between freedom and tyranny. Theater director Peter Sellars emphasized these references to Jesus' passion in his staging.

The musical plan develops like a Handelian or Mozartian opera, with clean-cut alternations between recitatives, arias and choruses, all of which adopt genres from Spain and Latin America with rather specific rhetorical connotations. It is not unlike the processes of assimilation of sicilianas, turkish marches, sarabandes, waltzes, polonaises and other such dances into what we know as European Classical music. The work eschews the Wagnerian model of an endless melody. Instead, the listener is carried forward by the constant gratification of individual gems of sensuous music. Golijov is a masterful orchestrator of haunting textures. The singers get to sound fantastic in gorgeous melodies.

Golijov is not the first to attempt these syntheses, but he is doing it today in a very favorable critical environment in the United States, with unquestionable technical virtuosity and genuine beauty. Although controversies arise about pandering to the audience and so on, it is all perhaps a matter of context. This opera will last.

I am really not at ease with writing a review on this item, but it is so interesting and good. Quite unexpected. I do not know how to categorize this, is this a modern opera? a folk opera? anyway, whats the use of labels as long as it is good and rewarding to listen to. All i know is i got hooked with the sound. the drama of it all, the quality of the voices, the elements. i bought my copy from itunes, which includes a listeners' guide.

I am familiar with lorca, (el publico, blood wedding, yerma, la casa de bernarda alba, butterfly's evil spell, ) but nothing prepared me for the intensity of the music and performance here. the hooves, the footsteps. the sound design merged well with the music. I really love this stuff. i got the bernarda alba cd of michael john lachiusa, and it doesnt hold a candle wth the fabulous AINADAMAR!

The excited reviews below attest to the hot buzz that Golijov's opera has created. I was present at the original Santa Fe Opera performance last summer as staged by Peter Sellars. The audience received the work less than ecstaticallyy, but I think its flaws have been overcome on CD. All the major parts are for women, with Garcia Lorca sung as a pants role. Male voices appear only briefly from two incidental characters. The tone is mournful throughout, and the tempos are almost entirely slow.

What overcomes these drawbacks are, first of all, Golijov's lavish use of tango rhythms and Spanish color; the crossover feeling is much stronger than the operatic feeling. The same was true of his rocking St. Mark Passion. Secondly, we get the immensely moving singing of Dawn Upshaw, who only seems to gain in artistry and power. Early in her career she had a huge crossover hit with the Gorecki Third Sym., and now that she is a major singer, Upshaw could carry Ainadamar to the top of the charts. It's very accessible music full of color and feeling. I am not so sure about Ainadamar's lastig value as a stage work.

In all fairness, I should first admit that I am in general not a fan of atonal, discordant "contemporary classical" music. Believe me when I say that this masterwork is not that. I had the privilege of seeing this masterpiece performed last year in Atlanta by Robert Spano conducting the Atlanta Symphony (with, I believe, all of the same performers who are on the CD). The live performance was truly captivating - it incorporated a large screen with striking images, the Spanish guitar players were quite interesting to watch (especially for those of us accustomed to orchestral performances), and Dawn Upshaw mesmerized the audience as much visually as she did vocally.
When the CD was released, I was initially hesitant to buy it, because I was concerned that it would not live up to the live performance. I am glad that I did finally buy it because I was very wrong. It is every bit as emotionally undulating as the visual performance - to me that is a confirmation of the strength of the vocal and instrumental composition. Yes, as one of the more negative reviewers points out, it is true that you can hear the influence of composers who came before Mr. Golijov, but great music is built on a historical foundation, and Mr. Golijov created something entirely new and remarkably appealing. It is an instant classic, equally good played very loudly on your stereo, or listened to on headphones.

I heard a review of this opera on NPR and was hooked. I bought it completely on a whim. I'm thrilled with what I got. Golijov blends several different musical tradtions to create stunning new music. Hwang's libretto beautfully illustrates the characters' passion. The opera is about an actress who worked with Spanish playwright Federico Lorca before his death at the hands of the facsist party. The opera illustrates how she made peace with her actions since his death. A beautiful story that will hopefully remind us how important freedoms of pen and speech really are.

I don't know if you can call this work an opera but you can definitely call it a masterpiece. The story based on the life of Federico Garcia Lorca is touching full of emotions and historical remembrances.

The music is very different from what people are expecting from an opera but is still beautiful. I have to admit that the more I listen to this work the more I like it. If this opera was a book it would be the book I always keep in my bedside table.

Just give it a chance you won't regret

There have not been many great operas written in the 20th/21th centuries save Glass and Adams but this one is a real gem.
The composer borrows from a range of styles. His music is engaging and makes for great listening. Even if you don't know what is going on, that is no matter. Golijov's score is so colorful and full of suprises it is not necessary to understand all that is going on. The wonderful Dawn Upshaw is amazing. She must be heard. This recording is essential listening for anyone who cares about opera and or contemporary music.

I've heard a little of this young Argentine's music in the past, but nothing to prepare me for this. This is truly extraordinary. Incredibly beautiful modern but tonal music. Listen to the Aria to the Statue of Mary on the 5th band; I don't think Mozart ever wrote an aria lovelier than this. I don't understand why this is receiving so little attention (so far).