Latest Blogger Updates

What's New in the Composers Forum

CD Reviews

Calendar

Latest Podcasts at cacophonous.org

SEQUENZA21/
340 W. 57th Street, 12B, New York, NY 10019

Zookeeper:   
Jerry Bowles
(212) 582-3791

Managing Editor:
David Salvage

Contributing Editors:

Galen H. Brown
Evan Johnson
Ian Moss
Lanier Sammons
Deborah Kravetz
(Philadelphia)
Eric C. Reda
(Chicago)
Christian Hertzog
(San Diego)
Jerry Zinser
(Los Angeles)

Web & Wiki Master:
Jeff Harrington


Latest Posts

Last Night in L.A. - Ad�s, Kurt�g, Castiglioni
How Not to Sell New Music
He's looking for a few good guitarists
Who Killed Classical Music? Forget it, Jake. It's Uptown.
One Two Three Four Five....
How Does Music Mean?
Alarm Will Sound: A Lesson in How to Sell New Music
Odd Couples
Depends On What You Mean by "Contemporary"
Gubaidulina Premiere: Bosch Meets Techno


 

Record companies, artists and publicists are invited to submit CDs to be considered for review. Send to: Jerry Bowles, Editor, Sequenza 21, 340 W. 57th Street, 12B, New York, NY 10019


Thursday, February 23, 2006
La Pasi�n seg�n San Marcos at Lincoln Center

Among my acquaintances Osvaldo Golijov is a controversial figure. His fans hail him as an apostle of multi-culturalism � a composer who listens to sounds made around the world, and who delivers them to us in stirring, powerful music. His critics consider him little more than a plantation owner with the clout and resources to import musical �slaves� from other countries to do his work for him. Last Monday night�s performance of La Pasi�n seg�n San Marcos (The Passion According to St. Mark) was my first prolonged encounter with Golijov�s music. I�m happy to report that, as far as I�m concerned, both sides of the Golijov controversy are wrong.

Based on this piece, it�s hard for me to acknowledge Golijov as being a great composer. The work is simply too much of a patchwork, and the notated orchestral passages often sit uncomfortably with the improvisatory passages for the Venezuelan musicians. And, despite his ability to create effervescent textures, Golijov�s ostinati almost invariably overstay their welcome: in numerous places the music grows tedious.

But the overall architecture of the composition is satisfying. Golijov�s tried-and-true fast-slow-fast organization does the job. The Pasi�n�s slow central passages and interjections of austere material go a long way toward keeping the more exuberant passages alive. There may be dead spots, but the music never dies.

Even though many significant aspects of the Pasi�n are unnotated and realized more by individual musicians trained in a native style than by Golijov�s imagination and technique, and even though Golijov is listed on the program as the �composer,� to label Golijov a fraud is unfair. Golijov�s achievement is best situated somewhere between the categories of �producer� and �composer,� and we really have no title for what it is he does. He�s treated as if he were a composer in the Western mold only because that�s the most convenient category at hand. In fact, Golijov really is what he intends to be: a hybrid figure whose methods combine aspects of popular and classical music-making. Once one comes to terms with the fact that the Pasi�n is as much �assembled� as it is �composed,� once one stops trying to make Golijov into a modern-day Bartok or Jan�cek, one understands Golijov better and becomes more at peace with his reputation.

P.S. I admonish the production team in the �comments� section.

 



Archives
12/19/2004 - 12/25/2004 12/26/2004 - 01/01/2005 01/02/2005 - 01/08/2005 01/09/2005 - 01/15/2005 01/16/2005 - 01/22/2005 01/23/2005 - 01/29/2005 01/30/2005 - 02/05/2005 02/06/2005 - 02/12/2005 02/13/2005 - 02/19/2005 02/20/2005 - 02/26/2005 02/27/2005 - 03/05/2005 03/06/2005 - 03/12/2005 03/13/2005 - 03/19/2005 03/20/2005 - 03/26/2005 03/27/2005 - 04/02/2005 04/03/2005 - 04/09/2005 04/10/2005 - 04/16/2005 04/17/2005 - 04/23/2005 04/24/2005 - 04/30/2005 05/01/2005 - 05/07/2005 05/08/2005 - 05/14/2005 05/15/2005 - 05/21/2005 05/22/2005 - 05/28/2005 05/29/2005 - 06/04/2005 06/05/2005 - 06/11/2005 06/12/2005 - 06/18/2005 06/19/2005 - 06/25/2005 06/26/2005 - 07/02/2005 07/03/2005 - 07/09/2005 07/10/2005 - 07/16/2005 07/17/2005 - 07/23/2005 07/24/2005 - 07/30/2005 07/31/2005 - 08/06/2005 08/07/2005 - 08/13/2005 08/14/2005 - 08/20/2005 08/21/2005 - 08/27/2005 08/28/2005 - 09/03/2005 09/04/2005 - 09/10/2005 09/11/2005 - 09/17/2005 09/18/2005 - 09/24/2005 09/25/2005 - 10/01/2005 10/02/2005 - 10/08/2005 10/09/2005 - 10/15/2005 10/16/2005 - 10/22/2005 10/23/2005 - 10/29/2005 10/30/2005 - 11/05/2005 11/06/2005 - 11/12/2005 11/13/2005 - 11/19/2005 11/20/2005 - 11/26/2005 11/27/2005 - 12/03/2005 12/04/2005 - 12/10/2005 12/11/2005 - 12/17/2005 12/18/2005 - 12/24/2005 12/25/2005 - 12/31/2005 01/01/2006 - 01/07/2006 01/08/2006 - 01/14/2006 01/15/2006 - 01/21/2006 01/22/2006 - 01/28/2006 01/29/2006 - 02/04/2006 02/05/2006 - 02/11/2006 02/12/2006 - 02/18/2006 02/19/2006 - 02/25/2006 02/26/2006 - 03/04/2006 03/05/2006 - 03/11/2006 03/12/2006 - 03/18/2006 03/19/2006 - 03/25/2006 03/26/2006 - 04/01/2006 04/02/2006 - 04/08/2006 04/09/2006 - 04/15/2006 04/16/2006 - 04/22/2006 04/23/2006 - 04/29/2006 04/30/2006 - 05/06/2006 05/07/2006 - 05/13/2006 05/14/2006 - 05/20/2006 05/21/2006 - 05/27/2006 05/28/2006 - 06/03/2006 06/04/2006 - 06/10/2006 06/11/2006 - 06/17/2006 06/18/2006 - 06/24/2006 06/25/2006 - 07/01/2006 07/02/2006 - 07/08/2006 07/09/2006 - 07/15/2006 07/16/2006 - 07/22/2006 07/23/2006 - 07/29/2006 07/30/2006 - 08/05/2006 08/06/2006 - 08/12/2006 08/13/2006 - 08/19/2006 08/20/2006 - 08/26/2006 08/27/2006 - 09/02/2006 09/03/2006 - 09/09/2006 09/10/2006 - 09/16/2006

Powered by Blogger


Subscribe to this feed listing