I was fortunate, back in November 2016, to be at the Aga Khan Museum when Miriam Khalil gave an extraordinary performance of Osvaldo Golijov’s Ayre.  Good news!  It was recorded and is now available as the inaugural release on the new Against the Grain label.  It loses little in its translation to disk.  I think the power, beyond the work itself, comes from Miriam’s intensity and grasp of the various idioms involved.  As the man himself says “No one owns this piece in the way that Miriam Khalil does. It is as if she was born to sing it”. Certainly it sounds quite different from the original recording with Dawn Upshaw.  The recording itself is clean and clear and does the performance justice. Osvaldo’s introductory speech is included as a bonus.

Ayre is available digitally on iTunes (C$9.99) and Google Play, and physical CDs will be sold in retail shops in Toronto, online via the AtG website, and at all upcoming 18/19 season performances by Against the Grain Theatre.

There is also a digital booklet (including texts and translations and useful historical/background material) available on the AtG website.