Solo CD of Tomas Kral?

[Osbert Parsley]

What does the Forum think of a solo recital disc by the Czech bass, Tomas Kral, with any of Ensemble Inegal, Musica Florea, Collegium 1704, Collegium Marianum or Capella Regia?

A programme of Zelenka, Bach (BWV 82?) and one or two Italians (Caldara?) of the same period would be nice. Or even a collection of arias, sacred and secular, by Zelenka and his colleagues in Dresden, including Heinichen, Ristori and Hasse.

[KingMaximilian]

My full support for this idea. It was quite recently that I found out about some of Tomas Kral's concert performances on youtube.com, including Zelenka's Confitebor tibi Domine (ZWV 71) -- and they are absolutely fantastic!

I believe the youtube link was already posted on this forum in early 2011, but for the sake of having most relevant youtube links in the one place, I am including it below as well:

Zelenka, Confitebor tibi Domine (ZWV 71)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWJClqnJq0M

J.S. Bach, Ich habe genug (BWV 82)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enc8z2fTXzw (movmt I)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6jeFIebR7g (movmt II)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uruwIvAcxY (movmt III)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9JxWB8R-cs (movmt IV)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47qY9DhboAA (movmt V)

In both the Zelenka motet (ZWV 71) and the Bach canata (BWV 82) I find Kral's singing to be quite exceptional. I would definitely vote for the same works to be recorded.

Additional suggestions (no surprises for anyone who has read my previous posts) could be motets by Caldara and/or J.J. Fux.

About which of the Czech groups to lobby for such a recording: this is a difficult choice, because they have all made wonderful Zelenka/Baroque recordings in the past. Based on the concerts above, I would personally vote for Marek Stryncl (on the Confitebor motet) -- Vaclav Luks takes the tempi a bit fast. As an aside, on more recent performances, Adam Viktora seems to choose more hurried tempi as well, especially in Vivaldi's RV 595, and I think a fast tempo would ruin the Confitebor. The recent Sepolcri CD (a real must-have) by Collegium Marianum under Jana Semeradova was very impressive -- and Tomas Kral was bass soloist there.

Of course, any such recording will depend on whether the aforementioned groups find our idea interesting and worthwhile .

[davidN]

An excellent idea! I would urge not only Confitebor ZWV71 [as a combination of Tomás Král and a band like Collegium Marianum would be an ideal update to Olaf Bär's old version] but also Chvelte Boha Silného, ZWV 165 which would give him plenty to get his teeth into! All the groups mentioned have shown their credentials but I say Collegium Marianum because their profile on CD at least is as yet rather less than the others and yet they are of at least equal worth.
As for other items on the disc, I would urge other composers associated with Dresden at this time so that we can get a rounded view of Zelenka's context.
at the prospect!

[l'infastidito]

I suspect there's a good possibility that precisely "Chvalte Boha silného", Psalm 150, ZWV 165 - sung by Tomas Kral (1st bass here) - is going to be included in the program for Musica Florea's upcoming "Missa Nativitatis" -CD, but of course I can't confirm this. Both ZWV 165 and ZWV 171 were part of the concert, though not of the subsequent radio broadcast (see link):
http://www.divadlojablonec.cz/program/mestske-divadlo/missa-nativitatis-domini-d-dur
Besides, it will soon be known who the solist in ZWV 53/1 on Accent is...
At least we have good reasons to expect excellent CDs in both cases.
SVF