[lit-ideas] Re: Why are the greatest composers all German?
- From: JimKandJulieB@xxxxxxx
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sat, 17 Jun 2006 21:43:52 EDT
I wonder if anyone here is familiar with Osvaldo Golijov?
_http://www.osvaldogolijov.com/_ (http://www.osvaldogolijov.com/)
National Public Radio featured La PasiÃn segÃn San Marcos on All Things
Considered. To listen, visit the _NPR website_
(http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1147976)
" Argentine composer Osvaldo Golijov has written a Latin American Passion,
according to Saint Mark. The Passion tells the story of Christ's betrayal,
death, and ressurection; perhaps the best-known Passions are those by Johann
Sebastian Bach. Our music critic Tom Manoff says Golijov's achievement is
remarkable, a musical drama set in a New World for a new time. It's a mixture
of
traditions -- Spanish, Latin, and Aramaic words are set to a music that draws
on
Latin American folk music, African drumming, flamenco and Gregorian-like
chant melodies."
_http://www.osvaldogolijov.com/wd1n.htm_
(http://www.osvaldogolijov.com/wd1n.htm)
<<David: What is the instrumentation of the Passion?
Osvaldo: The instrumentation is mainly voices and percussion. There is a
very strong tradition that news or stories are told by voices and drums in
Cuba
and Bahia, Brazil, the Latin geographical centers of my Passion. This musical
tradition comes from Africa, you knowâand that's how this Passion is being
toldâmainly by voices and drums. The voices represent the people who don't
understand, who are in fear, and Jesus himself who understands but also fears
and then doesn't fear. There is a male soloist, a female soloist, and a choir.
I am using these voices because, unlike Bach's Passions, in my piece there is
no identification between the male soloist and the Evangelist who always has
the most lines. Jesus has relatively few lines in the Passionsâso Jesus in
Bach is always a bass with a halo of strings and the Evangelist is the tenor
voice. In this Passion I thought that most of the time the voice of Jesus
would be the choir because for me Jesus represents the people, transformed into
a
collective spirit. At other times his voice will be the male soloist and
sometimes the female soloist. I have sections where there are three
choirsâthey
divide themselves into threeâbecause a lot of my piece has to do with
processionals. I imagine choirs from three villages proceeding down from the
tops of
the mountainsâthis is based on a South American Easter tradition. There are
some sections that are divided into two choirs, especially when one
represents Jesus and the other the people, or the mob, and then there will be
sections
when they are just one. >>
I heard the piece on NPR and immediately ordered the CD. The music is all
over the place. Some tracks are primitive-sounding heavily drummed Latin
American bits; some tracks are amazingly lyrical arias....he brings a wide
variety of various cultures' "pop" musical influence and a wide variety of
classical influence. It's an extraordinary CD.
At least give the NPR piece a listen!
Julie Krueger
========Original Message========
Subj: [lit-ideas] Re: Why are the greatest composers all German? Date:
6/15/06 5:18:24 P.M. Central Daylight Time From: _carolkir@xxxxxxxxx
(mailto:carolkir@xxxxxxxx) To: _lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
(mailto:lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx) Sent on:
> Come now. Is this a verbal argument ('pop=superficial' etc.)? Surely there
> is
> 'popular' music with depth - how about Beatles' 'A Day In The Life', ...
ck: Andreas's post talks to this list of old icons. More recently (but not
much) Brazilians like Nascimento have distinguished their music from popular
melancholia. Not that I dislike pop melancholia, or Miles Davis's album
_Kind of Blue_. But melancholy is the most easily accessed emotion of depth.
Rammstein digs deeper, into grief (not mere "regret'), and beyond rage into
something more disturbing and complex that belongs more to Beethoven and
Mahler than to U-2.
And I LIKE U-2! This is not a discussion about likes and dislikes in pop or
classical music. I love Jobim, and I adore folksy Arabic music. But few
artists enter the land of awe, and when they do, it's miraculous. Not always
likable, however.
Carol
----- Original Message -----
From: "Donal McEvoy" <donalmcevoyuk@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Thursday, June 15, 2006 2:35 AM
Subject: [lit-ideas] Re: Why are the greatest composers all German?
>
>>I haven't heard anything
>> close to Rammstein's profundity on the pop scene.
>> Carol
>
Dylan's
> 'Like A Rolling Stone', Television's 'Marquee Moon', 'Astral Weeks',
> 'Forever
> Changes', Presley's 'Heartbreak Hotel', Radiohead's 'Ok Computer'? (And
> what
> about old _popular_ blues and folk and jazz?).Of course you could be just
> saying none of this is close to the profundity of Rammstein. Never heard
> him.
> But I have heard 'Kind of Blue' - that's popular and has depth, surely?
>
> See, even without yet using ears to check I doubts Rammy is profundier
> than
> Bachers and some poppermost music has I think depths at least closing to
> some
> of that. Plus, of course Bachers and Mozzie and Beethy were popular in
> their
> time - even if not always as recognised as hindsight might tell us.
>
> Donal
> Taking a conciliatory stance in the high/low art wars
> England
>
>
>
> Send instant messages to your online friends http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com
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