Osvaldo Golijov's Falling Out of Time Is a Riveting
Musical Adaptation of David Grossman's Novel

Carolina Performing Arts presented Osvaldo Golijov's Falling Out of Time, a musical interpretation of David
Grossman's 2014 novel, on April 20th in UNC-Chapel Hill's Memorial Hall (photo by Marco Giannavola)

The final show of Carolina Performing Arts' 2022-23 season was Osvaldo Golijov's Falling Out of Time, a riveting musical adaptation of Israeli writer David Grossman's 2014 novel of the same name, performed on Thursday, April 20th, in Memorial Hall at UNC-Chapel Hill. The book and this show delve into the devastating grief and impact experienced by the author and his wife when their son, Uri, died in military combat.

We know that this sounds like it could be a depressing show; but in truth, it was a moving wonder to behold. Golijov has a deft way of weaving the music and visuals together to form a universal ode to humanity that transports the audience through waves of grief and understanding.

The singing narrator (a young barefoot woman who sets the stage) accompanies an older man (the husband) and an older woman (the wife), these parents who lost their son; and they all sing of this loss in Lebanese. The foreign tones and language allowed the audience to let go of the need to understand every word; and instead, it allowed us to feel, to drift, to find our way through to understand the anguish and struggle of the parents in the aftermath of their loss.

The stage is packed with virtuoso musicians, many of whom played multiple instruments:

• Biella da Costa (voice);
• Nora Fischer (voice);
• Yoni Rechter (voice);
• Dan Brantigan (trumpet, flugelhorn, and suona);
• Megan Conley (harp);
• Shawn Conley (acoustic bass and electric fretless bass);
• Jeremy Flower (electric guitar and modular synthesizer);
• Johnny Gandelsman (violin);
• Mario Gotoh (viola);
• Kayhan Kalhor (kamancheh, shah kaman);
• Karen Ouzounian (cello);
• Shane Shanahan (percussion and drum set); and
• Mazz Swift (violin)

The troupe produces music that is a mélange of many sounds. While the underlying feel is a Middle Eastern call to prayer, just when the audience gets comfortable, the music changes, adding and dropping sounds and instruments, until it morphs into something entirely different. Violins, drums, electronica, pipes, riffs of electric guitar, the faint blow of a trumpet, and the plaintive notes of the stringed Iranian kamancheh, the blend is hypnotic, transporting, and embodies the mixture of pain, sorrow and yes, moments of light throughout the piece.

The sound is exotic, yet familiar. Most of the musicians played more than one instrument, and we found ourselves focusing on the emotion and talent that emanated from each musician as they played, intensely focused on each other, feeling the feeling, the essence of the thing. There are 13 songs, which blend seamlessly together during the 80-minute show, moving the audience through sound and visuals.

Yes, there were stunning visuals. Not only was this a musical event, but a visual one as well. We must give kudos to scenic designer Mikiko Suzuki MacAdams and projection designer Camilla Tassi for the visual effects that accompanied this work. Using the large screen behind the musicians, projections of artwork by Mary Frank ebbed and flowed along with the music, giving light, texture, and nuance to the story line. Colors and textures swirled, moving alongside the story -- here a broken boy, there a broken spirit, now leaves, and heaven and thereafter everything in the universe.

This was a full body experience. Even the musicians themselves could feel the weight of the thing. Midshow, I could see the barefoot narrator brushing away tears. You may as well.

Chix's Pix: Watch Shane Shanahan play several types of drums, make rainstorms, and covertly pull a long bow across a mysterious instrument behind his back while making it all look effortless. Mind-blowing.

Osvaldo Golijov's FALLING OUT OF TIME (In Person April 20th), a musical interpretation of the 2014 novel by David Grossman (Carolina Performing Arts in Memorial Hall at UNC-Chapel Hill). TRAILERS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iouzF4vOa2M&t=1s and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sA3dNo5T14. THE PRESENTER: https://carolinaperformingarts.org/, https://www.facebook.com/CarolinaPerformingArtsUNC, https://www.instagram.com/carolinaperformingarts, https://twitter.com/UNCPerformArts, and https://www.youtube.com/user/UNCPerformArts. 2022-23 SEASON: https://carolinaperformingarts.org/current-season/. CPA BLOG: https://carolinaperformingarts.org/blog/. THE VENUE: https://carolinaperformingarts.org/venues/. OSVALDO GOLIJOV (Argentinian classical-music composer, nee Osvaldo Noé Golijov): https://osvaldogolijov.com/, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0326497/, and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osvaldo_Golijov. INFORMATION: 919-843-3333 or carolinaperformingarts@unc.edu. PLEASE DONATE TO: Carolina Performing Arts. [RUN HAS CONCLUDED.]

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