- Born:
- December 5, 1960, La Plata, Argentina (age 65)
- Awards And Honors:
- Grammy Award (2006)
- Notable Works:
- âAzulâ
Osvaldo Golijov
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Who is Osvaldo Golijov?
Osvaldo Golijov, born in La Plata, Argentina, on December 5, 1960, is an Argentine composer celebrated for his unique approach to concert music, blending Jewish liturgical and folk tunes, klezmer, Latin American rhythms, Middle Eastern melodies, and Western classical traditions.
He studied music in Argentina, Israel, and the United States, earning a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania. Golijov's compositions often feature unconventional instruments and languages like Yiddish and Arabic. He has collaborated with prominent artists such as the St. Lawrence String Quartet, the Kronos Quartet, and Dawn Upshaw. His notable works include La PasiĂłn segĂșn San Marcos and Ayre. In 2003, he received a MacArthur fellowship.
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Where is Osvaldo Golijov from?
Osvaldo Golijov was born in La Plata, Argentina, on December 5, 1960. He is an Argentine composer known for his unique approach to concert music. His parents were Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe. Golijov began his musical education with his mother, a piano teacher, and later studied at the local conservatory in Argentina. In 1983, he moved to Israel to continue his studies in Jerusalem. Three years later, in 1986, he moved to the United States, where he earned a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania.
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What kind of music does Osvaldo Golijov compose?
Osvaldo Golijov is an Argentine composer known for his varied approach to concert music. His compositions span most principal genres and often incorporate unconventional instruments, such as the accordion, Cuban drums, and the Persian kamÄcheh, alongside Western orchestral instruments. Golijov's music draws from diverse influences, including Jewish liturgical and folk music like klezmer, Latin American dance forms, Middle Eastern songs, and Western classical music. His vocal works frequently use languages such as Yiddish and Arabic, which are not commonly used in Western classical music. While his pieces, especially those for voice, can be hauntingly lyrical, they often possess a strong rhythmic quality. One of his well-known works is Azul, a concerto for cello.
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What are some famous works by Osvaldo Golijov?
Osvaldo Golijov is an Argentine composer known for his eclectic approach to concert music, incorporating Jewish liturgical music, Latin American dance, and Middle Eastern songs.
Some of his famous works include:
- Yiddishbbuk (1992), written for the St. Lawrence String Quartet and clarinetist Todd Palmer
- La PasiĂłn segĂșn San Marcos ("St. Markâs Passion") (2000), a Latin American setting of the Passion
- Ayre (2004), a song cycle that included Arab, Hebrew, and Spanish songs
- Ainadamar, based on the murder of the Spanish playwright Federico GarcĂa Lorca
- Original scores for films such as The Man Who Cried (2000) and Youth Without Youth (2007)
- Falling Out of Time (2020), a recording by the Silkroad Ensemble
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How do Golijov's cultural roots influence his music?
Osvaldo Golijov's compositions are influenced by his cultural background as a Jewish Argentinian with Eastern European roots. His music incorporates Jewish liturgical and folk music, especially klezmer, along with Latin American dance forms and Middle Eastern songs. He often uses instruments such as the accordion, Cuban drums, and the Persian kamÄncheh, and he sometimes uses sampled and amplified sounds. Golijov's vocal works frequently use languages such as Yiddish and Arabic, which are not commonly used in Western classical music. His unique approach has made his work a noted example of 21st-century art.
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What awards or recognition has Osvaldo Golijov received for his compositions?
Osvaldo Golijov has received several awards and recognitions for his compositions. In 1990, he won the Koussevitzky Composition Prize. He received acclaim in 2000 for La PasiĂłn segĂșn San Marcos. Dawn Upshaw sang and recorded Ayre (2004), and she was featured on the Grammy Award-winning recording of Ainadamar.
Golijov's honors include a MacArthur fellowship in 2003. Musical America named him Composer of the Year in 2006.
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Osvaldo Golijov (born December 5, 1960, La Plata, Argentina) is an Argentine composer, who became one of the most successful classical artists of the early 21st century in the United States and was known for his eclectic approach to concert music.
Golijov was born to Jewish immigrants from eastern Europe. He studied music with his mother, a piano teacher, and at the local conservatory in Argentina. He moved to Israel in 1983 and studied in Jerusalem, and in 1986 he moved to the United States, where he received a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania (as a student of the American composer George Crumb). He studied further at Tanglewood, in Lenox, Massachusetts, winning the Koussevitzky Composition Prize in 1990. A year later he joined the faculty at College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts; he was also on the faculty of the Boston Conservatory from 2001.
Golijov composed music in most principal genres. He commonly wrote for unconventional instruments (using the accordion, Cuban drums, cimbalom, or kamÄncheh [a Persian spike fiddle], for example, with Western orchestral instruments), and he sometimes used sampled and amplified sounds. Called an art for the 21st century, his work drew on such influences as Jewish liturgical and folk music, particularly klezmer; popular Latin American dance forms; Middle Eastern songs; and Western classical music of all periods. His vocal works often employed languages, such as Yiddish and Arabic, that were unusual in Western classical music. Although his works, particularly for the voice, could be hauntingly lyrical, they were also often strongly rhythmic.
Golijov became identified with a number of prominent performers, including the St. Lawrence String Quartet, the Kronos Quartet, and the soprano Dawn Upshaw, and many of his works were developed in collaboration with such artists. One of his earliest successes, Yiddishbbuk (1992), was written for the St. Lawrence and the clarinetist Todd Palmer, and the Kronos Quartet performed and recorded a number of his works. In 2000 Golijov received acclaim for La PasiĂłn segĂșn San Marcos (âSt. Markâs Passionâ), a Latin American setting of the Passion commissioned by the Bach Academy in Stuttgart, Germany, to commemorate the 250th anniversary of Johann Sebastian Bachâs death. Upshaw sang and recorded Ayre (2004), a cycle that included Arab, Hebrew, and Spanish songs, and she was featured on the Grammy Award-winning recording of Ainadamar, based on the murder of the Spanish playwright Federico GarcĂa Lorca and featuring a libretto by playwright David Henry Hwang. Golijov wrote original scores for films, including Sally Potterâs The Man Who Cried (2000) and Francis Ford Coppolaâs Youth Without Youth (2007).
In 2006 New York Cityâs Lincoln Center and Londonâs Barbican Centre held major festivals of his music, and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, under Robert Spano, featured his music throughout the 2006â07 season. In September 2006 Golijov took up a four-year position as a composer in residence with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Golijov also served as composer in residence at the Spoleto Festival USA; the annual festivals held at Marlboro, Vermont, and at Ravinia in Highland Park, Illinois; the Mostly Mozart Festival at Lincoln Center; and elsewhere. His numerous honours included a MacArthur fellowship in 2003. In 2006 he was named Composer of the Year by the venerable performing-arts magazine Musical America.
During the 2010s Golijovâs output slowed. A number of commissions, including one by the Metropolitan Opera, were canceled because of missed deadlines or other delays. Another commission, Sidereus (2010), was alleged to have been plagiarized. In 2020, however, Golijov premiered new work with Falling Out of Time, a recording by the Silkroad Ensemble. The song cycle was based on David Grossmanâs 2011 novel about a fatherâs grief for his deceased son.