Barnes & Noble
If it's true that opera needs to stretch its boundaries to survive in the 21st century, then Osvaldo Golijov's stunning Ainadamar is the sound of the genre's future. This composer's star has been ascending for quite some time, but with Ainadamar, his first opera, he transcends all the previous acclaim he's earned. As with the virtuosic song cycle Ayre, also recently recorded by Deutsche Grammophon, the central role of Ainadamar was written for soprano Dawn Upshaw; her partnership with Golijov has rapidly become one of the most exciting in contemporary music, so keenly does he draw a unique expressive fire out of her voice. Also like Ayre (and Golijov's work in general), Ainadamar is rooted in an eclectic range of musical influences, from Flamenco rhythms to modern electronic sound design. The dance rhythms are especially important to this opera, often viscerally underlining its Spanish setting. With a plot loosely structured around violent events from Spain's past (including the poet Federico Garcia Lorca's assassination in 1936, which occurred near Ainadamar, the "Fountain of Tears," in Granada), there's plenty of operatic drama and emotion concentrated into this concise work, and its historical truth makes it especially affecting. Somewhat surprisingly, Lorca is a trouser role, wonderfully sung by mezzo-soprano Kelley O'Connor; the payoff includes sublime duets between O'Connor and Upshaw ("Bar Albor de Madrid" and "Quiero cantar entre las explosions") and a gorgeous trio for female voices as well ("Doy mi sangre"). In this spellbinding performance led by longtime Golijov champion Robert Spano (and featuring half of the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet among its guest musicians), Ainadamar emerges from first bar to last as a truly original, essential contribution to 21st-century opera. Scott Paulin
All Music Guide
Osvaldo Golijov's "Ainadamar" is a short opera addressed to one of the cataclysmic events in twentieth century Spanish culture, the murder of poet Federico García Lorca by Falangist enforcers. In this premiere recording, Osvaldo Golijov: Ainadamar, Dawn Upshaw portrays Margarita Xirgu, the Spanish actress who took the lead role in the original production of The House of Bernarda Alba and attempted to save García Lorca through luring him to Cuba, an option he elected not to take. Kelley O'Connor portrays the ill-fated García Lorca in a performance given with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra under Robert Spano and featuring its women's chorus. "Ainadamar" premiered at Tanglewood in 2003, and proved a little on the lean side dramatically, so Peter Sellars was brought in to punch up the libretto, and he contributes the summary here.
First, the good -- this is definitely a plum role for Upshaw, who most often appears as an art song singer. Her dramatic turns have tended to be limited to pieces where an expert singer is required, but drama itself is not at a premium, such as in Messiaen's opera "St. Francis d'Assise" or Stravinsky's "The Rake's Progress." In "Ainadamar," Upshaw gets to play to the third balcony and she clearly relishes the opportunity, turning in a terrific performance. The quality of the Deutsche Grammophon recording is outstanding, and everyone in the cast and orchestra take pride of place alongside Upshaw in making "Ainadamar" everything it should be. Pre-recorded sound effects and added percussion parts merge seamlessly into the musical texture as if these elements were live.
Now, the not so good -- Golijov has proven himself one of the outstanding voices among concert composers of late in such works as "La Pasíon de Según San Marcos" and "The Dreams and Players of Isaac the Blind." These pieces have shown a facility with mixing up influences -- Klezmer, traditional Argentine folk music, pop music, what have you -- in a stew that has some affinity with "downtown" New York composers, but also demonstrates a clear ability in terms of scoring and instrumental aptitude. In "Ainadamar," Golijov plays it safe, creating a work that, while in full absorption of traditional, and even some concerted, Latin music (such as Revueltas) is pretty conservative overall, almost sounding like a zarzuela or, at worst, like Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Evita" with better music. This may well expand the appeal of Golijov to an audience that does not know his name, but to those who have embraced Golijov based on what he has already done, this isn't going to help at all. The serious subject of "Ainadamar" does not defeat the fact that its music sounds commercial, as well crafted as it is. It may well still succeed; there's no reason why it should, but the lack of risk-taking in "Ainadamar" is tantamount to Golijov moving into another camp of composers -- some might say on his way up in the world, but others may decide that it's "out." Uncle Dave Lewis
New York Times
The performers on the Deutsche Grammophon recording seem enthralled with the work.... Robert Spano draws a vivid performance, by turns incisive, rhapsodic and expansive.... Here is an opera that pushes the dramatic boundaries of the genre, boldly mixing real time with remembered and transfigured scenes from the intertwined lives of its characters. Anthony Tommasini
Gramophone
The effect is compelling: these words and scenes cry out for music, and Golijov delivers in full measure. Mike Ashman
BBC Music Magazine
Ainadamar...here proves a real ‘opera of the imagination’. It is dazzlingly presented. Robert Maycock
Time Out New York
Ainadamar has proved outstanding, both in the theatre and on this splendid disc.... Golijov's opera stands high among this decade's more persuasive and moving new musical-theater works. David Shengold
Boston Globe
Golijov has the gift of creating memorable melody, of propelling events forward through pulsing and intricately layered rhythms. He can create an atmosphere, a color, a tinta, to use Verdi's word. The work has an airless, dreamlike, hallucinatory quality.... Spano leads the Atlanta Symphony, the women of the Atlanta Symphony Chorus, and the cast in an accurate, intense, and vivid performance. Richard Dyer
The New Yorker
The music is sensationally beautiful throughout. Alex Ross
Los Angeles Times
1/2 Golijov...has become famous for his Latin charisma, which is once more splashed all over this enormously appealing and highly theatrical score. There are arias of showstopping Straussian beauty for both Lorca and Xirgu that are sure to have a life of their own.
Mark Swed
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