BBC Radio 3 covers Zelenka on Prime-time Sunday 09/04/17

  • I was quite surprised to get a call from my father who had heard Zelenka suddenly popping up whilst tuning into BBC Radio 3 at around 2pm yesterday. It turns out that they were covering Collegium 1704's recent concert "Miserere" in the Rudolfinum Prague (17.03.17).


    This was their programme on the 17.03.2017:


    [FONT=&amp]J. D. Zelenka — Sinfonia "I penitenti al sepolcro del redentore" ZWV 63[/FONT]
    [FONT=&amp]J. D. Zelenka — Lamentationes Jeremiae prophetae I ZWV 53[/FONT]
    [FONT=&amp]J. D. Zelenka — De Profundis[/FONT]
    [FONT=&amp]W. Fr. Bach — Adagio a fuga d moll F.65[/FONT]
    [FONT=&amp]J. S. Bach — Ich habe genug BWV 82[/FONT]
    [FONT=&amp]J. D. Zelenka — Miserere in c moll ZWV 57[/FONT]


    It probably won't be accessible to people outside of the UK: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08ljmdx


    BBC chose to broadcast the Lamentation, the De Profundis (it was the ZWV 50 version, exequies for JDZ's father, Jiří Zelenka) and finished on Bachs' Ich habe genug (I wish they had gone on to the Miserere...). Deustch Kultur Radio are covering the same concert on the 12th April at 20:30 Uhr, but are choosing the Miserere over the De Profundis.


    The Bass soloist Jan Martiník has a very deep silky voice, but I personally found his rendition of Lamentation no.1 to be a bit too limp and monotonous (but, I suppose it is supposed to be a 'lament'). The De Profundis was very successful, and certainly mournful in tone. It was interpreted quite differently to other recordings I've heard, with the plain chant segments being sung solo by Tomas Král, and the tempos being stretched out a bit more for solemn effect. Martiník was a bit more lively and effective with Bach's stunning Ich habe genug, and I thought it was marvellously played by Collegium 1704 and oboist (probably Xenia Löffler).


    All the best for Easter to everyone :)


    Seb

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