Osvaldo Golijov - La Pasion Segun San Marcos (2010)

At first I had hoped for some kind of fusion between a broadway version of JC Superstar and Brazilian carnival when I started to watch Golijov's La Pasion Segun San Marcos, "The Movie". …
It's not like that. Nobody's jumping around like a rockstar or ballet dancer here, or play-acting exalted emotions, as in opera or theatre. But when you go to ca. minute 32 of this video, for example, you'll go through a torrential storm. I'm talking about my favorite track of La Pasion, "Demos Gracias". You'll be hit by waves upon waves of choral singing, and the more the song gets momentum, the more you see this huge tension building up in the singers' faces. They bend their upper body as if straining muscles and lungs to exert the utmost power…their minds seem to be set on singing the audience straight from the Concert Hall to Eternity. Push, push, push! - every last breath of air, push it out, until both performers and listeners hurt with the effort. Yes, to see the intensity with which the men and women sing is a feast to behold.

Fantastic. After watching that particular song I had to take a break and catch my breath.

Nice detail: when all is done, you'll see a couple of shots of Maxima, Princess of the Netherlands, among the audience. Good to know she has a good taste in classical music and is apparently well aware of her fellow-countryman's successes as a contemporary composer. This performance was filmed live at the Holland Festival 2008.

Note: scans of covers and booklet included in the archives for cds as well as the video.











Tracks:

cd1
01. Vision: Bautismo en la Cruz [0:01:03.50]
02. Danza del Pescador Pescado [0:00:52.09]
03. Primer Anuncio [0:03:54.71]
04. Segundo Anuncio [0:02:01.50]
05. Tercer Anuncio: En Fiesta No [0:00:56.65]
06. Dos Dias [0:01:40.06]
07. Uncion en Betania [0:01:11.23]
08. Por que? [0:04:00.32]
09. Oracion Lucumi (Aria con Grillos) [0:02:26.58]
10. El Primer Dia [0:01:30.02]
11. Judas / El Cordero Pascual [0:04:35.10]
12. Quisiera Yo Renegar (Aria de Judas) [0:02:48.38]
13. Eucaristia [0:03:52.14]
14. Demos Gracias [0:05:14.07]
15. En el Monte de los Olivos [0:01:05.62]
16. Cara a Cara [0:01:10.70]
17. En Getsemani [0:02:03.53]
18. Agonia (Aria de Jesus) [0:08:21.11]
19. Arresto / Danza de la Sabana Blanca [0:02:31.31]
20. Ante Caifas [0:01:45.37]

cd2
01. Soy yo (Confesion) [0:02:25.41]
02. Escarnio y negacion [0:01:37.69]
03. Desgarro de la Tunica [0:00:55.01]
04. Lua descolorida (Aria de las lagrimas de Pedro) [0:05:44.09]
05. Amanecer: Ante Pilato [0:03:45.39]
06. Silencio [0:01:48.16]
07. Sentencia [0:01:45.65]
08. Comparsa al Golgotha / Danza de la sabana Purpura - Manto Sagrado [0:03:36.31]
09. Crucifixion [0:01:55.21]
10. Muerte [0:01:05.52]
11. Kadish [0:06:40.63]

Performers:

Orquestra la Pasión and Schola Cantorum of Venezuela
Members of the Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela
Maria Guinand - Conductor

Solo Performers:

Elizabeth Maldonado - Vocals, Voice
Alex Alvear - Voice
Gioconda Cabrera - Voice
Ana Maria Raga - Voice
Virginia Largo - Vocals, Voice
Manolo Mairena - Voice
Jessica Rivera - Soprano
Reynaldo Gonzalez-Fernandez - Voice

on the DVD:
Same performers - Robert Spano, conductor
Filmed Live at the Holland Festival 2008