''Listening to the new release, it's easy to hear what was so revolutionary about "La Pasión.'' Most music that comes under the "crossover'' label tries to incorporate one genre into another; almost inevitably the result is stilted and artificial. Golijov, by contrast, writes mambos and rumbas as convincingly as he composes lyrical, minimalist-inflected classical music. In "La Pasión,'' he yoked them together without sacrificing stylistic authenticity. Some of his choices are startling: Listen to the "Por que?'' (Why?'') movement and you will think you've stumbled into a noisy Brazilian street fair instead of a retelling of Jesus' anointing at Bethany. Here is that rare piece of music that legitimately inhabits a multitude of genres; genre, in a way, ceases to matter. "La Pasión'' didn't just launch Golijov's career when it premiered, it made him into a phenomenon. A tumultuous half-hour ovation followed its first performance, and a similar reception greeted the US debut, at Symphony Hall in 2001. In his early 40s Golijov became perhaps the most famous composer of his generation. Suddenly, critics were welcoming his ascent as the herald of a new age of unbounded musical cross-pollination.'' Boston Globe