Customer Reviews

Osvaldo Golijov: Oceana

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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

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.

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.

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!

Golijov is in danger of being priased for music that strikes me as glib and slick. The main work here, "Ocieana,' begins with a blatant appeal of pop taste: strumming guitars against a taped background of waves softly lapping the shore. I can't consider this a serious effort. The subsequent chorale parts hark back to Golijo's breakthrough work, the St. Mark Passion, with various Latin rhythms and lots of shouting in the manner of uncultivated folk singing. It's an idiom that he has taken to the bank a few times too often. If you listen past the sound effects and the atmospheric jazz singing by soloist Luciana Souza (which is set to run-of-the-mill Brazilian riffs), it's hard to hear what the shouting is about except for the desperation among classical record companies to manufacture a crossover hit.

Matters improve musically in the second half of the program. Golojov's strength lies in somber moodmaking and plaintive vocal lines based on klezmer, Sephardic, and NOrth African sources. We get the mournful part in Tenebrae, a two-movement elegy for string quartet. It's quite conservative compared with similar efforts from Ligeti, Lutoslawski, and others, but the arching melodic ines feel sincere and bring moving results.

I was waiting, however, for the three songs that end the CD, having heard a smapling here in Santa Fe two summers ago. Dawn UPshaw has proved to be Golijov's greatest champion, and here again she captures his mournful tone beautifully. All three songs are on the high level of Upshaw's last Golijov release, Ayre. The powerful symphonic music that accompanies the songs is conducted with commitment by Robert Spano. As stand-alones, these songs fully deserve five stars, and yet I wonder how such a capable composer can be satisfied with semi-junk like Oceana.

This is a very enjoyable disc. While I find "Oceana" a bit overworked, the performances of "Tenebrae" and especially "Three Songs" are quite good. The Kronos Quartet once again demonstrate unrivaled control and expressiveness on their instruments. Dawn Upshaw is still at her best here. Her voice is a treasure, and the "Three Songs" show off the beauty, lyricism, and uniqueness that makes her voice stand above the rest.

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. The main offering ('Oceana') was immediately forgettable. It had some interesting sounds but nothing that sticks with you. I still sometimes will play it as something to have on, as some of the rhythms are fun. The main piece is followed up with Kronos Quartet playing a two movement quartet entitled 'Tenebrae'. Initially I was really drawn to this piece. I still like it very much. Its slow and sombre. Not for every mood, but skillfully played and recorded. The three songs, as sung by Dawn Upshaw, are what really shine here. Especially the third one.

In closing I would recomend this cd, so long as you understand it is a mixed offering.

This is a great work by Golijov. the passion is there and the orchestration is unpredictable. It is both majestic and at the same time intimate. the vocalist in the oceana CD is good. it would have been wonderful if she played margarita is golijov's ainadamar. she was not overwhelmed by golijov's orchestration. however, for oceana, this is not really something new. for more passionate and interesting listening, try ainadamar or st. mark's passion (both by golijov).

the interesting works actually here are the intimate quartets. \\

I was just getting over Golijov's last release, "Ayre", when I discovered this offering on Amazon. I don't know much about music technically, so this review may seem non-musical. I was struck by the contrasts in...temperature between "Ayre" and "Oceana". Ayre has "hot" and "close" qualities, evoking kinetic exchanges between people and cultures in a part of the world where Spain and Africa meet, and where Christianity, Islam, and Judaism converge and coexist. Oceana's atmosphere is big and cool. There is a sense of great space, but also a sense of deep intimacy. Golijov gives substance to the world that Pablo Neruda creates in words for himself and for his love. The arrangements flow easily between a small guitar/percussion ensemble flanking Luciana Souza's dusky voice and big, swirling passages for orchestra and chorus. This music is meant to wake up the soul. Mine is having breakfast. "Tenebrae", for string quartet, is almost jarringly gentle and stately at times, in contrast to the preceding piece. I would recommend listening to the piece on its own. "Three Songs" brings back Dawn Upshaw. You'd think she wouldn't have anything left after Ayre, but she has plenty. Golijov's music has coaxed sounds and emotions from this soprano that sometimes deceive me into thinking that she is a completely different entity. Again, this piece is very different from the preceding two and should be appreciated on its own. Listen to it in the car when you're driving into a drab, depressing underground parking structure. Trust me.

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. Sadly, it was just hype. The title work, "Oceana," is an embarrassingly contrived bit of Spanish lounge music with an orchestra and chorus in tow. It's never harmonically interesting unless it's slow and quiet, but that's just not enough to warrant half an hour of tedious listening. "Tenebrae" is better, but not an interesting departure from better works of the kind by Part, Gorecki, Vasks, and Takemitsu. The "Three Songs" are the highlight, but hardly worth the cost of the disc. Finally, some real music!

In short, Golijov is just the flavor of the moment that people will politely applaud and then delight when his fifteen minutes are over. If you like the Atlanta Symphony, Robert Spano and modern music, I suggest Jennifer Higdon's "Concerto for Orchestra" as an excellent choice for real, interesting, soulful music and actual skill writing for orchestra.