Phenotypic Recordings Podcast
Osvaldo Golijov: Friendship, Memory, and the Music That Lives On
A deeply personal conversation unfolds around Ever Yours , the new album from composer Osvaldo Golijov featuring performances by Barry Shiffman, Nicholas Schwartz, and the Arethusa and Animato Quartets. Ever Yours was produced by Stephen Prutsman. At the heart of the album is the late violinist Geoff Nuttall of the St. Lawrence String Quartet. He was the friend, collaborator, artistic provocateur, and a defining musical force in Golijov’s life. The episode explores how friendship shapes art, how musical conversations continue after death, and how memory becomes embedded in sound itself. The discussion traces decades of creative history, beginning with the St. Lawrence Quartet’s early encounters with Golijov’s music at Tanglewood and continuing through works like Yiddishbbuk , K’vakarat , Tintype , and the title work Ever Yours . Along the way, stories emerge of Geoff Nuttall’s fearless musicianship, the emotional intensity of chamber music collaboration, and the way artists push one another toward deeper expression. Inspired by the letters of Vincent van Gogh, Haydn quartets, Elie Wiesel, Jewish liturgical traditions, and lifelong friendships, the album becomes less a collection of compositions and an extended meditation on love, grief, artistic lineage, and transcendence. The musicians reflect on recording together in Amsterdam, shaping performances collectively, and creating music that feels less “perfect” than profoundly alive. This episode is full of warmth, humor, stories of creative chaos, and moving reflections on the way music allows people — and friendships — to endure long after they are gone.
