I must say if you are basing your opinion on the Tugart recording, this
is yet another example of how recording can not possibly live up to the
live performance.  I became very interested in Golijov's music after Derek
Bermel, another composer I respect greatly said "he is the real thing".
Composers recommending other composers is a rare thing.  So I tracked down
his music.  I found he did a large number of arrangements for Kronos
Quartet.  The nuevos disc arrangements are fantastic and quite humorous.
I also found a piece called Last round which I programmed on a string
orchestra concert.  The piece is a tribute to Piazzolla and the second
movement which is basically a milonga is gorgeous.  If you need "tunes"
to have a musical experience, you should diga bit deeper.

I found the stugart recoring and after much searching even tracked down
score.  After listening to the recording, I was puzzled by the performance.
Much of it seemed tame and flat.

I had much the same response to the piece as others have based on the
recording, flat.  Then, I went to the Tanglewood performance conducted by
Robert Spano. WOW!  I sat next to a LA times TV critic who apparently did
not have much experience with music and she and I were mesmerized by the
performance, as were the audience in Ozawa hall that night.  I bounced
around August telling people about that concert.

As soon as I heard BAM was putting on the passion, I bought tickets and a
train ticket so I could be there.  I caught the Saturday night concert
which was the third performance of the week.  The choir was the same
 [Golijov insists the choir from caracas is the only choir that is allowed
to sing it, he worked with them for two years from what I understand.] The
percussionists were the same except for the three BAM supplied percussionists.
The brass section were even better than the Tanglewood crew.  Danw upshaw
was quite magnificent.  To put it simply, I found more to appreciate in
the piece the second time around.

If you get a chance to see this piece live.  Please do.

I believe it justifies the new york times article in which the reviewer
started the review with something like, and I am paraphrasing here "every
50 years a composer comes around to change everything.

In the words of Derek Bermel, he is the real thing.

Chris Younghoon Kim
Kalsitos Chamber Orchestra
http://www.kalistos.org