Gryphon Trio, Miriam Khalil | Osvaldo Golijov: Ayre

In a potent mixture of Arabic, Spanish, and Sephardic tradition, Osvaldo Golijov’s 2004 song cycle Ayre draws on folk material of 15th century Andalusia, juxtaposing the texts’ wide expressive ambit with music full of unexpected detours and lashing eloquence. Here, in an arrangement by Roberto Occhipinti, the Gryphon Trio accompanies the legendary Lebanese-Canadian soprano Miriam Khalil at the 2019 Junofest. Says the composer: “No one owns this piece in the way that Miriam Khalil does. It is as if she was born to sing it.”