OSVALDO GOLIJOV: Ayre; BERIO: Folk Songs for Voice and Seven Instruments – Dawn Upshaw, soprano/ The Andalusian Dogs (Ayre)/Instr. Sextet (Folk) – DGG

by | Jan 13, 2006 | Classical CD Reviews | 0 comments

OSVALDO GOLIJOV: Ayre; BERIO: Folk Songs for Voice and Seven Instruments – Dawn Upshaw, soprano/ The Andalusian Dogs (Ayre)/Instr. Sextet (Folk) – DGG B0004782-02, 62:00 ****:

Nominated for a Grammy, this unusual vocal album pairs Berio’s well-known 1964 setting of 11 folk songs with the world premiere of a rather similar companion piece also setting 11 folk songs.Golijov is an Argentine-born contemporary composer who takes listeners on a trip around the Jewish Mediterranean, visiting poetry in Arabic, songs of the Sephardic Jews, and recently-composed songs. No. 4 is a short instrumental by Santaolalla, and there are two Christian Arab Easter songs.  The one-minute song No. 8, “Be a string, water, to my guitar,” by Palestinian poet Darwish, uses only the first half of the poem, with the second half recited over song No. 10.  Upshaw demonstrates an amazing facility for conjuring up different vocal personalities. In some of the more sensual songs or the revolutionary song “Walls are encircling the land” she sounds completely different, like an Arabic hellion.  The repeat of the Darwish poem uses four voices – three of them layering in electronically, singing a call to prayer while Upshaw recites the words of the poem over them. There are some interesting synth effects applied subtly here and there, and one of the instrumentalists plays a “hyper-accordion,” whatever that is.

The Berio Folk Songs were created originally for his wife, the unique Cathy Berberian. It includes traditional tunes from Sicily, America, Armenia, Sardinia, Azerbaijan, Genoa and the Auvergne. In fact fans of Canteloube’s Songs of the Auvergne (probably legions to whom this new disc will appeal strongly) will recognize songs Nos. 9 and 10 as also being included in Canteloube’s cycle. If you’re not yet familiar with this work, be assured that Berio kept his serial technique well in the background in arranging these lovely melodies.

 – John Sunier

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