Ayre (Golijov)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ayre
studio by Osvaldo Golijov
PeriodContemporary classical music
Genrefolk
Performedstudio
Publishedsept. 27, 2005
PublisherDeutsche Grammophon CD 00289 477 5414
Duration61:57 minutes
Movements22
ScoringOrchestra, chorus and soloists

«Ayre is a collection of 11 pieces of music with roots in Spanish Andalusia – Byzantine chant, Sephardic lullabies, Arab, Hebrew and Christian texts – an ecstatic demonstration of the power of music to express the human condition. It may be one of the defining works of the new century» ( Robert Harris)[1]

.

Ayre is the twelfth album by composer Osvaldo Golijov, it is a cycle of songs commissioned by Carnegie Hall for soprano Dawn Upshaw, which offers a tour of the Mediterranean, particularly in that mixture of Spanish, Jewish and Arabic influences that once coexisted (relatively ) quietly in Spain before the Reconquista.

Golijov's Ayre - meaning "air" or "melody" in medieval Spanish - largely centers on southern Spain with its intermingling of three cultures (Christian, Arab, and Jewish) in an era before the expulsion of the Jews in the late 15th century.[2]

The band on the CD box is a bit imprecise, in fact it defines the work as a journey around the Jewish Mediterranean; but in reality there are Arabic, Christian, Muslim, etc. songs and poems. It would seem that Golijov wants to show that all these faiths and ethnicities make up a larger family.

Structure[]

The CD is composed of two parts, the first Ayre by Osvaldo Golijov and the second Folk Songs for mezzo-soprano, flute, clarinet, [ [viola (musical instrument) | viola]], cello, harp and percussion by Luciano Berio.

The first part Ayre (for voice and orchestra) the pieces are all performed by the soprano Dawn Upshaw accompanied by the orchestra The Andalucian Dogs.

In the second part Folk Songs (for voice and seven instruments) the soprano Dawn Upshaw is accompanied by Helen Tara O'Connor, , Ljova, Erik Friedlander, Bridget Kibbey, Eric Poland and .

In addition to the instruments mentioned in the pieces Tancas serradas a muru (Sardinian) and "Wa Habibi" (Arabic) a laptop programmed with electronica "beat" was used to provide a rhythmic driving background.

  • Part I
  1. Ayre by Osvaldo Golijov
    1. Mananita de San Juan (Morning of St. John's Day) - 3:54
    2. Una Madre Comió Asado (A Mother Roasted her Child) - 3:01
    3. (Walls are Encircling the Land) - (trad. Sardinia, lyrics by Melchiorre Murenu)- 2:57
    4. Luna - 2:04
    5. Nanni - 3:15
    6. Wa Habibi (My Love) - 6:15
    7. Aiini Taqttiru (My Eyes Weep) - 2:47
    8. Kun Li-Guitari Wataran Ayyuha Al-Maa' (Be a String, Water, to my Guitar) - 1:14
    9. Kun Li-Guitari Wataran Ayyuha Al-Maa' (Be a String, Water, to my Guitar) - 1:40
    10. Yah, Anna Emtzacha (Oh, Where Shall I find You?) - 3:44
    11. Ariadna en su Laberinto (Ariadne in Her Labyrinth) - 9:15
  • Part II
  1. from Folk Songs by Luciano Berio
    1. Black is the colour (USA) - 2:42
    2. I Wonder As I Wander (USA) - 2:06
    3. (Armenia) -2:35
    4. - (France) - 1:28
    5. - (Sicily) - 1:32
    6. - (Liguria, Italy) - 1:17
    7. Ballo - (Italia)- 1:34
    8. - (Sardinia)- 1:53
    9. - (Auvergne)- 1:00
    10. Lo fiolairé - (Auvergne)- 2:56
    11. Azerbaijan Love Song (Qalalıyam) - (Azerbaijan)- 2:48

References[]

  1. ^ Robert Harris, Against the Grain's Ayre to deliver powerful evening of cultural mash-ups, Globe and Mail, November 9, 2016 read on line
  2. ^ Ara Guzelimian, A Counterpoint of Cultures, in Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles Philharmonic Association, 2021 read on line

External links[]

Retrieved from ""