“a singular soundscape that marries impulses from Central Asian song epic, Delta blues and ruminative minimalist patterns…searing”

— Gramophone

Commissioned by and featuring members of the Silkroad Ensemble

Osvaldo Golijov, guest composer; Biella da Costa, Woman; Nora Fischer, Centaur; Yoni Rechter, Man; Dan Brantigan, trumpet, flugelhorn, suona; Megan Conley, harp; Shawn Conley, acoustic bass, electric fretless bass; Mario Gotoh, viola; Jeremy Flower, electric guitar, modular synthesizer; Johnny Gandelsman, violin;  Karen Ouzounian, cello; Shane Shanahan, percussion, drum set; Mazz Swift, violin

Osvaldo Golijov blew open the boundaries between musical genres at the start of this century, with his influential, genre-defying La Pasión según San Marcos. A genius who embraces a wide-range of influences, Golijov’s newest dramatic work brings together Delta blues, Hebrew chant, Central Asian ballads and the mournful eloquence of Schubert. This is music for our time. Golijov draws inspiration from Israeli author David Grossman’s Falling Out of Time; part play, part poem, part fable, the book narrates a journey “out of time” – a tale of grief and the transformative journey to acceptance. A powerful universal message of healing and humanity is conveyed through this collaborative performance which brings together an astounding ensemble, with each musician renowned for their virtuosity as soloists.

“a singular soundscape that marries impulses from Central Asian song epic, Delta blues and ruminative minimalist patterns…searing” – Gramophone

“a masterpiece as intellectually stimulating as it is emotionally gripping” –  Classical Post

“searing new score recalls the ardent honesty of his breakthrough Pasión según San Marco” –  Gramophone

“eerily intimate and age-old, like a community’s spirit had been cracked open” –  The New York Times

“a musical tour de force” –  WBUR’s Here and Now

About Guest Composer Osvaldo Golijov

Osvaldo Golijov grew up in an Eastern European Jewish household in La Plata, Argentina. In 2000, the premiere of his La Pasión según San Marcos (St. Mark Passion) took the music world by storm. The Boston Globe called it “the first indisputably great composition of the 21st century.” The recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship, Golijov has also received acclaim for other groundbreaking works such as his opera Ainadamar and the clarinet quintet The Dreams and Prayers of Isaac the Blind, as well as music he has written for the films of Francis Ford Coppola. Golijov has been nominated for three Grammy Awards for Best Contemporary Classical Composition, winning for the recording of Ainadamar.