Music : Osvaldo Golijov: Ayre |
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Rating: - * Upshaw is incredible ... I was present for a performance of Ayre in New York a couple of years ago. It's a song cycle drawing on several different cultural and historical traditions -- Christian, Muslim, Jewish and of course the composer's native South America. The performance was quite exhilirating. The music is mostly tuneful and the orchstration very interesting. Still, I can't help wondering if this is the kind of music that will last. Will people still be listening to Ayre 100 years from now? I'm not sure. I hear geat talent and skill -- but do I hear genius? Again, I'm not convinced. Sometimes, I have the feeling of being manipulated. This music is very politically correct, especially the long lament for the Palestinians at the center of this work. One thing is for sure: Dawn Upshaw is sensational. She molds her voice into a supremely flexible instrument, making it do all kinds of wonderful things. I do recommend this recording. It's interesting and it asks good questions. But it's not quite great. Rating: - * A Triumph! ... On June 4 2007 I went to a meeting at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Chicago Public Schools teachers were invited to brainstorm ideas to have our students working in the production of 'Ainadamar', an opera by Osvaldo Golijov, in cooperation with Albany Park Theatre Project (APTP). Osvaldo Golijov attended that meeting. Afterwards we were invited to stay to see Ayre. This is how I discovered Golijov. By the second song I was completely blown away and almost in tears ... The music was so powerful, and the singing completely energetic and mesmerizing at the same time. Jewish music melted with Muslim influences and with a Spanish traditional touch here and there. The soprano Dawn Upshaw was brilliant, and so was the whole orchestra. I've never seen before a laptop computer mixed with an orchestra. And the orchestra itself was nothing conventional (Spanish guitar, accordion, flutes, oboes, violins, etc.). The composer himself presented the songs like a tribute to friendship. Also, he said it was a 'story on how the opressed became the opressors'. A very remarkable music experience that I strongly recommend. Not an easy listening, but definetely worth it! The album contains two different pieces. Tracks 1-11 'Ayre' (2004) by Osvaldo Golijov (1960), which is the world premiere recording. Tracks 12-22 'Folk Songs' (1964) by Luciano Berio (1925-2003). The soprano Dawn Upshaw sings both of the pieces. I bought this CD because of 'Ayre' and this is what this is review is about. However, I also liked the folk songs by Berio and I give this CD 4 stars overall (4,5 for Ayre). Rating:  - * Lucid and Dazzling ... Lucid and Dazzling. That's all there is to say. Lucid and dazzling. Golijov takes a good hard long look at Berio's 'Folk Songs,' thinks about what he'd do differently, and does it. Ayre is one of the most creative collections of multi-lingual, international, inter-faith, inter-cultural mosaic to enter the musical word. It is motley and mixed. It has dark humor with wicked grins, sentimental sighs and long winding melodies that stay in your head for a day or two. On seeing a live show of this about two weeks after the CD came out I cried and cried - because not only do we have such amazing and moving music in this piece, it is music that - in its mediterranean hodge-podge - gives us a reminder of how beautiful the world would be if we'd all sing with, instead of shoot at, each other. And the Berio - well, I thought Berberian's recording from the 70's was it. But Dawn, well, she just gets certain subtleties and colors that Cathy couldn't. And Ms. Upshaw can growl, scream, laugh, mock, and dream just as good as Cathy could. A good CD for fall. A great gift for those of extra-ecclectic taste. An even better musical intro for those that want to see/hear where (I hope) classical music is heading. Rating: - * Not original? Ha! ... So, I ended up buying this album not for the main piece, Golijov's Ayre but for Upshaw's version of Berio's Folksongs. In fact, in the length of time I've had this disc, which has been a couple of months, at least, I never even once attempted listening to Golijov's piece. The truth of the matter was, I kept telling myself I didn't like Goljov - which was silly and contradictory of me since I've always enjoyed Golijov's The Dreams and Prayers of Isaac the Blind. In fact, because I knew I enjoyed Isaac The Blind, I investigated whether or not I'd enjoy Golijov's newly released opera, Ainadamar. After listening to some 30 second samples from Amazon.com, I must admit that I wasn't impressed with what I heard. I also investigated his La Pasion Segun San Marcos only to arrive at the opinion that it, too, was lacking in very many ways. I immediately figured that aside from Isaac the Blind, Golijov's other material seemed bland, unempathetic and largely undeveloped - almost as if he were in a hurry to be prolific! Well, needless to say, my opinion of him immediately changed when I finally decided to listen to Ayre. From the very first note, I realized it was Golijov from my familiarity with Isaac the Blind and I was instantaneously drawn in. The rhythm was exotic, casual, and yet refined, and the harmony transported me away from 21st century America into a wholly other multi-cultural dimension. The introduction holds you in suspense, awaiting what's next, and then gradually shifts into mode encompassed by Jewish and Arabesque tones and colors. Upshaw's singing is so evocative and pronounced that, just like in her performance of Gorecki's "Symphony No. 3," she doesn't spare any emotion in her performance. Her voice alone adds so much texture to these songs! The song cycle ranges from the beautiful to the absurd, at times, with Upshaw's singing leading the way. And while the music itself often appears to move from place to place, never seeming to touch the same place twice, there is actually so much cohsiveness between each song that it's impossible not to realize these songs rely upon each other for their strength and viability just like any other architectural composition. Some people harangue Golijov for being a popular living composer, often berating him with fallible characterizations. Some even claim he isn't original and is only recycling what's come before in order to put himself among the ranks of Mozart, Mahler, and Shostakovich. As one reviewer belows states, Golijov is considered the Brittany Spears of classical. Far from it, as I see it! Golijov's music is no less original than many other composers, including Mozart himself. In fact, it's truly quite difficult to find any composer, living or dead, who was not inspired or did not find their cue from music that preceded them. Golijov may take certain themes borrowed from previous composers (such as composing a song cycle based on Berio's Folksongs) and incorporate those themes into the larger scheme, but such inspiration is no different than the countless composed renditions of "Variations on a Theme by Paganini." Don't let overly traditionalist music-lovers stray you away from this release! It's truly what your heart, soul, and ears have been searching for! Rating:  - * Review of 'Ayre' ... Some of the selections were interesting. One or two, very interesting but overall, so-so. Upshaw is wasted on this one. Occasionally 'atmospheric'. |
The segment on Van Gogh is, as expected, emotional, yet Schama convincingly portrays Van Gogh as not consumed by madness, but fighting off the episodes with painting. Van Gogh painted one of his most evocative works, Wheat Field With Crows, which even his brother, Theo, recognized was about to put his brother on the artistic map. Yet, as Schama points out, within weeks, Van Gogh had killed himself. "Now why would he want to do that?" Schama muses--and then proceeds to narrate the tormented tale of the answer. Along the way, the viewer gains new appreciation for Van Gogh's signature works, including his famous sunflowers. "Technically, these are still lives," Schama says, "but there's nothing still about them... the sunflowers [seem to be] organisms landing violently from a burning sun." If the reenactments of the artists' lives are a bit overdone, it's forgivable, since the cumulative effect, in an hour, is a new appreciation of the work and the man.
Extras include frank and very funny commentaries by Schama and his co-producer, and lots of behind-the-scenes dish on how certain scenes were achieved. The teeming French opera scene in the "David" episode, for instance, was cast using just 20 French extras and then the rest created by CGI--"the scene works better, really, than [the film] King Kong," Schama says with delight. --A.T. Hurley
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Bird has his cake and eats it, too. He and the Pixar wizards send up superhero and James Bond movies while delivering a thrilling, supercool action movie that rivals Spider-Man 2 for 2004's best onscreen thrills. While it's just as funny as the previous Pixar films, The Incredibles has a far wider-ranging emotional palette (it's Pixar's first PG film). Bird takes several jabs, including some juicy commentary on domestic life ("It's not graduation, he's moving from the fourth to fifth grade!").
The animated Parrs look and act a bit like the actors portraying them, Craig T. Nelson and Holly Hunter. Samuel L. Jackson and Jason Lee also have a grand old time as, respectively, superhero Frozone and bad guy Syndrome. Nearly stealing the show is Bird himself, voicing the eccentric designer of superhero outfits ("No capes!"), Edna Mode.
Nominated for four Oscars, The Incredibles won for Best Animated Film and, in an unprecedented win for non-live-action films, Sound Editing.
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The Presentation
This two-disc set is (shall we say it?), incredible. The digital-to-digital transfer pops off the screen and the 5.1 Dolby sound will knock the socks off most systems. But like any superhero, it has an Achilles heel. This marks the first Pixar release that doesn't include both the widescreen and full-screen versions in the same DVD set, which was a great bargaining chip for those cinephiles who still want a full-frame presentation for other family members. With a 2.39:1 widescreen ratio (that's big black bars, folks, à la Dr. Zhivago), a few more viewers may decide to go with the full-frame presentation. Fortunately, Pixar reformats their full-frame presentation so the action remains in frame.
The Extras
The most-repeated segments will be the two animated shorts. Newly created for this DVD is the hilarious "Jack-Jack Attack," filling the gap in the film during which the Parr baby is left with the talkative babysitter, Kari. "Boundin'," which played in front of the film theatrically, was created by Pixar character designer Bud Luckey. This easygoing take on a dancing sheep gets better with multiple viewings (be sure to watch the featurette on the short).
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Brad Bird still sounds like a bit of an outsider in his commentary track, recorded before the movie opened. Pixar captain John Lasseter brought him in to shake things up, to make sure the wildly successful studio would not get complacent. And while Bird is certainly likable, he does not exude Lasseter's teddy-bear persona. As one animator states, "He's like strong coffee; I happen to like strong coffee." Besides a resilient stance to be the best, Bird threw in an amazing number of challenges, most of which go unnoticed unless you delve into the 70 minutes of making-of features plus two commentary tracks (Bird with producer John Walker, the other from a dozen animators). We hear about the numerous sets, why you go to "the Spaniards" if you're dealing with animation physics, costume problems (there's a reason why previous Pixar films dealt with single- or uncostumed characters), and horror stories about all that animated hair. Bird's commentary throws out too many names of the animators even after he warns himself not to do so, but it's a lively enough time. The animator commentary is of greatest interest to those interested in the occupation.
There is a 30-minute segment on deleted scenes with temporary vocals and crude drawings, including a new opening (thankfully dropped). The "secret files" contain a "lost" animated short from the superheroes' glory days. This fake cartoon (Frozone and Mr. Incredible are teamed with a pink bunny) wears thin, but play it with the commentary track by the two superheroes and it's another sharp comedy sketch. There are also NSA "files" on the other superheroes alluded to in the film with dossiers and curiously fun sound bits. "Vowellet" is the only footage about the well-known cast (there aren't even any obligatory shots of the cast recording their lines). Author/cast member Sarah Vowell (NPR's This American Life) talks about her first foray into movie voice-overs--daughter Violet--and the unlikelihood of her being a superhero. The feature is unlike anything we've seen on a Disney or Pixar DVD extra, but who else would consider Abe Lincoln an action figure? --Doug Thomas
More Incredibles at Amazon.com
 The Incredibles Toy Store |  CD Soundtrack |  The Art of The Incredibles Book |
 Game Boy Advance |  On VHS |  The Essential Guide Book |
The Pixar Feature Films
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Also from Filmmaker Brad Bird
 The Iron Giant (Writer/Director) |  "Family Dog" on Amazing Stories (Writer/Director) |  Batteries Not Included (Cowriter) |
 The Simpsons (Director/Consultant) |  King of the Hill (Consultant) |  The Critic (Consultant) |
The prize must have come, at least in part, because alongside the poverty and dispossession, Steinbeck chronicled the Joads' refusal, even inability, to let go of their faltering but unmistakable hold on human dignity. Witnessing their degeneration from Oklahoma farmers to a diminished band of migrant workers is nothing short of crushing. The Joads lose family members to death and cowardice as they go, and are challenged by everything from weather to the authorities to the California locals themselves. As Tom Joad puts it: "They're a-workin' away at our spirits. They're a tryin' to make us cringe an' crawl like a whipped bitch. They tryin' to break us. Why, Jesus Christ, Ma, they comes a time when the on'y way a fella can keep his decency is by takin' a sock at a cop. They're workin' on our decency."
The point, though, is that decency remains intact, if somewhat battle-scarred, and this, as much as the depression and the plight of the "Okies," is a part of American history. When the California of their dreams proves to be less than edenic, Ma tells Tom: "You got to have patience. Why, Tom--us people will go on livin' when all them people is gone. Why, Tom, we're the people that live. They ain't gonna wipe us out. Why, we're the people--we go on." It's almost as if she's talking about the very novel she inhabits, for Steinbeck's characters, more than most literary creations, do go on. They continue, now as much as ever, to illuminate and humanize an era for generations of readers who, thankfully, have no experiential point of reference for understanding the depression. The book's final, haunting image of Rose of Sharon--Rosasharn, as they call her--the eldest Joad daughter, forcing the milk intended for her stillborn baby onto a starving stranger, is a lesson on the grandest scale. "'You got to,'" she says, simply. And so do we all. --Melanie Rehak
The software comes with so many features it's tough to decide where to begin. We really liked the aging feature that let us see how the plants we had selected would look any number of years after we planted them, letting us plan for the future. There's also a handy slider bar that let us easily see how the plants would look during various seasons, adding accurate blooms in the spring and leaf color changes in the fall. It was simple to import digital pictures of houses and add virtual landscaping elements, and once a design was finalized everything we wanted to include was added automatically to a shopping list.
The one drawback to this software is that the graphics aren't too great, especially in the 3-D modes. They are adequate for giving an impression of what a garden will look like from a distance, but up close everything disintegrates into a mess. Still, the top-down 2-D views are crisp, and the photographs in the plant encyclopedia are good, and as long as you have the patience to deal with the frequent CD access this software demands you'll be planning the landscape of your dreams in no time. --T. Byrl Baker
