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The Jewish music of Osvaldo Golijov: (a modern composer given the rare honor of a month-long festival at Lincoln Center in NYC).

Article Excerpt
Most people discover a composer by reading about him in newspapers, CD liner notes, or printed concert programs. I got to know about Osvaldo Golijov (the "j" is pronounced like the "ch" in l'chayim) by accretion, first by listening to his music at a concert that was preceded by an oral introduction, then by meeting him, and only then by reading about him and getting his CD's.

Here's how it came about.

Backtrack to 2001, to the fabulous Spoleto USA Festival, held annually end-May to mid-June in Charleston, South Carolina. (For 2006, Spoleto is offering an encore performance of last year's smash hit, Mozart's Don Giovanni, and a new production of Gounod's Romeo and Juliet, in addition to plays, dance, orchestral concerts, chamber music and other entertainments.)

At one of Spoleto's twice-daily chamber music concerts in the Dock Street Theater, the long time artistic director, Charles Wadsworth introduced "Lullaby and Doina" by Osvaldo Golijov, an Argentinian composer, to be played by the St. Lawrence String Quartet and clarinetist Todd Palmer. (No programs are distributed at these concerts. A chalkboard in the lobby announces the pieces for that day. Hence, sans program, no biography of the composer is available.)

Wadsworth noted that "Lullaby and Doina" had East European folk themes and some gypsy influences, especially the Romanian doina. As soon as I heard "doina," I at once translated it to "klezmer," for the "doina" is one of the dances used in klezmer music. Wadsworth added that the music we are about to hear was included in the film, The Man Who Cried, for which Golijov had written the theme melody.

As Wadsworth spoke, I analyzed the composer's name. I thought I had it all figured out. Golijov didn't sound Spanish at all; rather, more like a typical East European Jewish name. The family moved, I supposed, from Russia to Argentina to escape persecution, and they had a son who was given a Spanish name, Osvaldo.

Now I had it all wrapped up. Gypsy-shmypsy, doina shmoina. This was going to be a klezmer piece by an Argentinian Jewish composer. And the fact that the soloist would be a clarinetist also sent me a message: klezmer.

But then some lemon was cast into the sweet mix. Continuing his introduction,...

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