Golijov: Yiddishbbuk

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
This is an amazing recording. It will leave you drained of emotion and speechless with admiration. Osvaldo Golijov was born in Argentina in 1960. His Eastern Jewish family played and listened to music from classical to klezmer and tango. He lived briefly in Jerusalem, absorbing the musical traditions there, and came to America in 1986. His works encompass all the styles he has been exposed to, but except for "Last Round," a "sublimated tango" part raucous, part mournful (and written in homage to Piazzolla), this program represents Golijov's Jewish roots.

"Lullaby and Doina" incorporates Jewish and Gypsy themes, part slow and sad, part wild and motoric, with a radiant violin solo soaring above the woodwinds. "Yiddishbbuk," written for the St. Lawrence Quartet on Tanglewood's Fromm Commission, is inspired by a line from an apocryphal psalm: "No one sings as purely as those who are in the deepest hell...." Its first movement commemorates three children who perished in the Nazi concentration camp Terezin. Golijov evokes their anguish in music that is by turns wild, raucous, slashing, mysterious, eerie, and always heart-rending. Tremolos flutter up above aching dissonances, alternating with organlike, sustained chords; slides and crashes sound like strangled death cries. Isaac the Blind was a famous kabbalist rabbi and mystic. His "Dreams and Prayers," scored for string quartet and clarinet, are depicted in music that is calm, mysterious, meditative, and devout, but intermittently breaks into traditional dance tunes, and builds up to several tremendous climaxes. The clarinet speaks, sings, sobs, screams, and prays in true klezmer style. The playing is fabulous, the total effect mesmerizing, but the real miracle is that this young Canadian quartet and American clarinetist can identify so completely with a culture surely worlds away from their own. --Edith Eisler

Golijov: Yiddishbbuk, Music, Osvaldo Golijov, Todd Palmer, St. Lawrence String Quartet, Chamber, Chamber Music, Chamber Music & Recitals, Classical, Classical Composers, Classical Music

Average customer rating:

A Strange, Yet Lovely Piece

Start here- this is the convincing Golijov.

consistent, vibrant, true...

As boring as the rest of his opus

Extremely powerful.

Golijov: Yiddishbbuk
St. Lawrence String Quartet , Todd Palmer , and Ying Quartet
Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
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Osvaldo Golijov: Ayre

The Dreams and Prayers of Isaac the Blind

Osvaldo Golijov: Ainadamar

La Pasion Segun San Marcos (St. Mark Passion)

Nuevo

ASIN: B000066SFP
Release Date: 2007-01-08

Tracks:

Last Round: Movido, urgente-Macho, cool and dangerous
Last Round: Lentissimo
Lullaby And Doina: Lullaby
Lullaby And Doina: Doina
Lullaby And Doina: Gallop
Yiddishbbuk: I
Yissishbbuk: II
Yiddishbbuk: III
The Dreams And Prayers Of Isaac The Blind: Prelude: Calmo, sospeso
The Dreams And Prayers Of Isaac The Blind: Agitato-Con
The Dreams And Prayers Of Isaac The Blind: Teneramente-Ruvido-Presto
The Dreams And Prayers Of Isaac The Blind: Calmo, sospeso-Allegro
The Dreams And Prayers Of Isaac The Blind: Postlude: Lento,

Amazon.com

This is an amazing recording. It will leave you drained of emotion and speechless with admiration. Osvaldo Golijov was born in Argentina in 1960. His Eastern Jewish family played and listened to music from classical to klezmer and tango. He lived briefly in Jerusalem, absorbing the musical traditions there, and came to America in 1986. His works encompass all the styles he has been exposed to, but except for "Last Round," a "sublimated tango" part raucous, part mournful (and written in homage to Piazzolla), this program represents Golijov's Jewish roots.

Customer Reviews:

A Strange, Yet Lovely Piece.......2007-05-29

I heard this first in concert played by Tood Palmer, and I can honestly say that it was one of the most amazing performances ever. Once I heard that, I just had to get the CD. The CD is strange and moody with a strong Yiddish flavor, but it is original enough to stand up on its own. This CD is worth it, if only to get "Dreams and Prayers of Isaac the Blind."

Start here- this is the convincing Golijov........2006-09-15

If there is one disc out there that can convince you that Osvaldo Golijov is worth hearing, spending your money on, and part of the future of "serious" music, this is the one. His other major works- the St. Mark Passion and the opera Ainadamar included- make vibrant use of his folk and latin music influences, but I've felt sometimes that his use of these elements has tended to overshadow his prodigious compositional ability in places. Not so here. The Golijov pieces presented over the course of "Yiddishbbuk" is a risk taking modern voice who has something new, daring, and thought provoking to say. His other works are certainly worth looking into with an open mind, but to be convinced, please treat yourself to this recording.

consistent, vibrant, true..........2005-04-15

This CD is a must for anyone who loves Golijov's music. Even more so a must for someone that wants to start wading into the surprisingly warm waters of contemporary music. Golijov is about as good as it gets and he deserves every iota and ink drop of praise ascribed to him.

As do the performers. The Ying and St. Lawrence Quartets have been playing and laughing and collaborating together for over a decade now and you hear the warmth of their relationship (MOST present on stage) in this work.

Oh, and Todd Palmer pretty much ROCKS, too. When I saw him and the St. Lawrence do this live a little over a year ago he sang and grunted his way through the piece's motley clarinet scoring with elegance, pathos, and humor. And the same vibe is as much in the recording as it was that night.

As boring as the rest of his opus.......2004-02-02

I consider Golijov the Britanny Spears of new music. He re-hashes what others have done,albeit with less originality than Britanny, all the while making me nod off.

Extremely powerful........2002-08-27

When I was listening to this recording I could feel my nerves going raw. It was a cry and it was a joy. It was a calling from the past. It was full of memory.

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