Chicago Classical Music

As I am new to the blogosphere, I felt that it was appropriate for me to begin with something incredibly current in this art form that I experienced last night.

This week, the CSO is performing Osvaldo Golijov’s Ainadamar for the first time. It was such a mind-blowing experience that it motivated me to begin blogging about “Classical” music in Chicago here at CCM.

If you don’t know the background, Ainadamar (Fountain of Tears), tells of the story of the death of legendary Spanish poet Federico García Lorca through the eyes of Margarita Xirgu', Lorca’s favorite actress and friend as she approaches the final hours of her own life. Check out CSO program annotator Phillip Huscher’s program notes for more detail. He does a superb job giving additional context to the piece (as always).

It is a tragic tale; one that dives into politics, revolution, friendship and more. I’ve been a huge fan of Dawn Upshaw’s since she sang Golijov’s Ayre as part of the CSO’s MusicNOW series last spring. But Kelly O’Connor’s performance as Lorca was stunning, just like the piece.

What truly motivated me to write is the impact I believe a composer like Golijov can have on music overall. His influences certainly come from his Argentine and Jewish roots, but his works truly reach across the globe. His music is melodic and beautiful but absolutely unique to his own sound and innovations. He has established a new direction for music as it continues in its never-ending evolution. I feel that if the 2016 Olympic Bid team from Chicago is seeking a composer for a theme, they should look no further than the CSO’s Mead Composer-in-Residence.

Experience Ainadamar if you can. The CSO performs it again Friday (2/8), Saturday (2/9) and Tuesday (2/12).

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