Ainadamar, by Osvaldo Golijov
I've been listening to the opera Ainadamar by Osvaldo Golijov. It's about the assassination of the Spanish poet Federico Garcia Lorca in 1936, during the Spanish Civil War.
I've had it on at work, so I haven't had a chance to listen while reading the translation of the libretto (and I had to check Wikipedia to remember who Garcia Lorca was exactly...) but the music is beautiful even without the words, very haunting.
The most thought-provoking part sans libretto is the actual shooting in the second act. The shots are startling no matter how many times I listen to the piece. There are several shots in quick succession, but at irregular intervals; then the shots continue and resolve into a rhythm which becomes part of the music. It's a beautiful effect, but it makes me think of violence working itself into so many aspects of daily life.
The notes say that "Ainadamar" means "fountain of tears" in Arabic.
I've had it on at work, so I haven't had a chance to listen while reading the translation of the libretto (and I had to check Wikipedia to remember who Garcia Lorca was exactly...) but the music is beautiful even without the words, very haunting.
The most thought-provoking part sans libretto is the actual shooting in the second act. The shots are startling no matter how many times I listen to the piece. There are several shots in quick succession, but at irregular intervals; then the shots continue and resolve into a rhythm which becomes part of the music. It's a beautiful effect, but it makes me think of violence working itself into so many aspects of daily life.
The notes say that "Ainadamar" means "fountain of tears" in Arabic.