Osvaldo Golijov : Oceana - Robert Spano, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, Kronos Quartet, Dawn Upshaw

Osvaldo Golijov : Oceana

Robert Spano, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chorus

Dawn Upshaw

Kronos Quartet

Oceana 01. I. Call 02. II. First Wave: "Oceana nupcial, cadera de las islas" Rain Train Interlude 03. III. Second Wave: "Quiero oir lo invisible" 04. IV. Second Call 05. V. Third Wave: "Oceana, reclina tu noche en el castillo" 06. VI. Aria: "Tengo hambre de no ser sino piedra marina" 07. VII. Chorale of the Reef: "Oceana, dame las conchas del arrecife" Tenebrae : for string quartet 08. I. First Movemen 09. II. Second Movement Three Songs for Soprano and Orchestra 10. 1. Night of the Flying Horses 11. 2. Lua Descolorida 12. 3. How Slow the Wind Tracks 1 to 7 recorded in Atlanta, Symphony Hall, 11/2004 Tracks 8 to 9 recorded in Worchester, Mass., St. Joseph Memorial Chapel, 11/2006 Tracks 10 to 12 recorded in Atlanta, Symphony Hall, 11/2005

Gramophon magazine : Recording of the Month - September 2007

Osvaldo Golijov is fast becoming the poster-boy for contemporary composers in the US. And that's as it should be. For his music, at once thoughtful and instinctive, esoteric and accessible, is unfailingly haunting and stimulating. And if, as a New York critic recently suggested to me, his fans are now waiting for him to step up to the John Adams league with a Very Important Work, we have plenty to be going on with. This latest collection, of his early work Oceana, Tenebrae for string quartet and a collection of songs, is unforgettable. The title-work, composed as a homage to Bach cantatas, is meticulous in its structure – yet the cumulative effect is of the most gorgeous, sometimes pain-filled vocal waves washing over you. Tenebrae offers contrasting views of the world; from the literally global perspective of space, and from immediate proximity to violence. The fascinating thing is how at times the perspectives merge. And this would not be a Golijov album without the presence of his muse, Dawn Upshaw. It is she who has the last word in the soulful, plangent songs. If this is not yet Golijov's Very Important Work, it's still an album to swoon over.

BBC music : Robert Maycock
Performance: ****
Sound: ****

Commissioned as a homage to Bach, Oceana dates from early in its composer's rise to international recognition. A half-hour cantata, its idiom embraces South American roots as well as the beginnings of the cross-cultural range and confidence that made such a striking experience of his Lorca opera Ainadamar. The words are by Neruda, an invocation of the sea full of heightened imagery. Golijov's most personal trait, his long-breathed eloquence with solo voices, takes flight with the professionalism of Brazilian star Luciana Souza backed by choruses and an orchestra sparkling with both guitars and harp. While the choral music takes a while to find variety of colour and density, it contributes to the work's eventual sweeping energy and has the gentle ebb and flow of the end to itself. In contrast, Tenebrae for quartet and the Three Songs are slow, reflective and wrapped in quiet major-key despair. Kronos have the measure of the former's mix of Baroque lyrical lines and pulsing support, while Dawn Upshaw goes into Górecki mode. The first song, a too easily affecting lullaby, turns first into a kind of klezmer and then thoroughly East European, and the final Emily Dickinson setting culminates memorably in bold, arching phrases.

Posted by Ice