Ainadamar

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Ainadamar means "Fountain of Tears" in Arabic, and is the first opera by Argentinian composer Osvaldo Golijov. It premiered in Tanglewood on August 10, 2003. After major revisions, the new version premiered at the Santa Fe Opera on July 30, 2005. It met its Chicago premier at the Ravinia Festival on June 14, 2006.

The opera tells the story of playwright Federico García Lorca and his lover and muse, Catalan actress Margarita Xirgu. A unique aspect of this opera is that the part of male Lorca is played by a woman. The opera is told in reverse in a series of flashbacks, and involves Lorca's opposition to the Falange, accusations of homosexuality, and his subsequent murder.

The first recording came out on Deutsche Grammophon on May 9, 2006. It immediately sped to the top of the classical music billboard charts. It was recorded by the artists for whom it was written, including Dawn Upshaw as Xirgu, Kelley O'Connor as Lorca, and conducted by Robert Spano with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.

Both the recording and the opera met immediate critical acclaim. Like much of Golijov's work, the opera heavily incorporates Arab and Jewish idioms, as well as Spanish flamenco sounds — in fact, there is a flamenco guitar section incorporated into the orchestra.

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Sources:

  • Liner notes from AINADAMAR CD, Deustche Grammophon
  • Program notes from AINADAMAR performance at Ravinia Festival
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