Sally Potter's film tells the tale of a young Jewish girl caught up in a maelstrom of artistic, emotional, and political conflicts on the eve of the Nazi occupation of France. The Man Who Cried is set against a disparate backdrop of Paris opera houses and rich Gypsy folk music, and Potter has assembled a diverse, compelling score with the help of Argentine composer Osvaldo Golijov. Opera fans should note the presence of meteoric young star Salvatore Licitra, a tenor whose performances here (which include excerpts from Puccini's Tosca, Bizet's The Pearl Fishers, and Verdi's Il Trovatore) mark his recording debut. Giving that operatic sensibility its historical and ethnic context, Golijov's delicate pieces, performed by the Kronos Quartet, serve to balance the swirling Gypsy verve of the Taraf de Haïdouks ensemble. The resulting score gleefully turns the various clichés of "world music" on their heads, revealing new connections between Euro-folk and the classics as the disc showcases traditionalists and newcomers alike, introducing a bright new operatic star in the bargain. --Jerry McCulley
