Posts by Xanaseb

  • Dixit Dominus (ZWV 67) - world premiere recording?

    This was really nice to hear - thanks for all your work Mike. I enjoyed reading your dissertation too.


    I would love to hear Antonín Sehling's version of this, held in Prague Castle & Cathedral Archives. He includes 2 clarino (trumpets), tuned in C. According to Mike's dissertation, Sehling made a few tweaks to the orchestration too (probably to make it suitable for Prague Cathedral).


    I've contacted Ensemble Inégal regarding this (and a few other suggestions mentioned by others here in the forum), in the hope that they'd want to make their disc even more colourful than it already will be. I discussed this possibility with Andrew Frampton who suggested that, if they did want to include it, they should only have it in an appendix / extra track, because it wasn't Zelenka's original piece, which was designed for the Dresden Court Church.


    But, it wouldn't be the only piece that has a source from Prague Cathedral however, the biggest one of course is the wonderful Laetatus Sum ZWV90, copied by Antonín Görbig, who was the Cathedral's kapellmeister. The *only* extant copy of this long, virtuosic work is found in Prague. It will be a beautiful shining gem to finish off Inégal's recording series of the Psalm cycles.

  • New Zelenka sheet music at IMSLP

    Quote from Skaf

    Elwro:
    You found all of my recent Zelenka editions on IMSPL, so I only have to announce the following one:
    Antonio Caldara: Missa Providentiae (including the Credo ZWV 31 by Zelenka)
    (Note: Most of the lyrics are missing in the Credo, which is why I had to reconstruct them -- see the preface. This movement is stunning, especially the Amen fugue which prominently features the passus duriusculus - a fugue could not be more "Zelenkian" ;) ).


    How very exciting!! It's interesting that Zelenka did a number of inserted movements for various Masses by other composers, and I hope that they will get some recording attention at some point in the future. For example one by Pisani, which is the Benedictus ZWV40 - a nice short layered SATB piece with interlocking an string melody which is similar in principle to the Da Pacem Domine ZWV 167

  • Zelenka Festival & Conference Prague Oct 2017

    Dear Zelenkans,


    I have some dates to share for this year's Zelenka Festival Praha, so that you may have some advanced notice. This year's will be held during the first week of October: Tuesday 3rd - Saturday 7th


    I have permission to post a preliminary plan of the concerts that Ensemble Inégal are arranging, which may yet change:


    3.10: Lamentations of Jeremiah, 4.10: Secular Vocal Collection II (following on from last year's very successful arias & duets), 6 & 7.10 Missa Corporis Dominici ZWV9*


    More information concerning the featured concerts, speakers & papers will be posted as soon as it becomes available.


    I found it was a fantastic experience last year, and I hope that you will consider coming along!


    All the best,


    Seb


    *Recent update!!

  • Collegium 1704, 2 trio sonatas

    After listening to it a few times, I have to say that I enjoyed a lot of it, but didn't enjoy some of it. For me, the first CD (sonatas I-III) was a lot better than the second one. IV-VI were tinkered around with more (in tempi & dynamics) which surprised me.


    I thought the musicians were lighter on their feet than other recordings, including Zefiro's (though I agree with RNKT). But, as a result, it could sometimes lose clarity and impact. At the same time, it felt more fluid and relaxed.


    I am very happy to have it in my Zelenka-library, in any case :cool:.

  • ZWV 210 and ZWV 119

    Brilliant, thank-you for giving these two short and little-known pieces a go! I wish I was free on that day to travel down to Swansea. Is there any chance of a recording being made, whether video or mp3?


    All the best,


    Xanaseb

  • Psalmi Vespertini III

    Here's a list I've put together for Zelenka's third cycle of Psalmi Vespertini, in anticipation of Inégal's next recording (also see the great comments by l'infastido in this thread:(


    Full list of settings c. 1728, as listed by the 'Inventarium':
    (extant psalms in bold)


    ZWV 69 - Dixit Dominus (F major) - SATB strings & 2 Oboes - MISSING
    ZWV 79 - Laudate Pueri (A minor) - SSATB 'stromenti ad libitum' - MISSING
    ZWV 106 - Magnificat (A minor) - SSATB 'Instrumenti ad libitum' - MISSING
    ZWV 89 - Laetatus sum (D major) - SATB strings & oboes ad lib - MISSING
    ZWV 93 - Nisi Dominus (A minor) - SATB strings & ?ad libitum - MISSING
    ZWV 103 - Lauda Jerusalem (D minor) - SATB strings & oboes ad lib - MISSING
    ZWV 70 - Confitebor tibi Domine (A minor) - SATB & strings
    ZWV 84 - In Exitu Israel (G minor) - SATB 'Instrumenti ad libitum' *
    ZWV 77 - Beatus Vir (D minor) - SATB & strings - MISSING
    ZWV 91 - Inconvertendo (G minor) - SATB & strings
    ZWV 87 - Laudate Dominum omnes gentes (F major) - SATT(solo)B & strings *
    ZWV 94 - Beati Omnes (G minor) - SATB & strings
    ZWV 100 - Confitebor Angelorum (B-flat maj) - SATB & strings
    ZWV 98 - Memento Domine David (E-flat maj) - SATB & strings *
    ZWV 101 - Domine probasti me (F major) - SATB & strings


    * As far as I know, only these three psalms have been recorded on CD before!


    Jan Stockigt discusses a number of the existing psalms in her book. That makes me look forward to them! They all cleverly suit the texts, but are mostly pretty compact, as l'infastido notes. If you want to get a glimpse, the best way is through SLUB & IMSLP.org. You can also hear a couple on the 'audio' section of jdzelenka.net.


    Missing Psalms

    Out of all of the cycles, this one has suffered the most missing manuscripts. The history of those missing pieces is interesting, as according to the 1765 catalogue compiled under Schürer, the autographs were already missing. Only the parts still survived (which therefore presumably still made them playable for the Hofkapelle). That is why we no longer have them, because almost all part-books were taken from the city in 1945 during the Soviet 'liberation'.


    These missing psalms together could technically make a complete 'Vespers for the Blessed Virgin' ('della Beata Virgine' like the famous set by Monteverdi). Interesting to note is that the Dixit and Magnificat are both in minor keys, which is different to previous cycles. Also, the Magnificat is SSATB and 'instrumenti ad libitum'. The loss of this set of psalms is so tragic and tantalising to fantasise about... if and when these are recovered from their hiding place in Russia, they should make a nice stand-alone recording!

  • Zelenka-related sites to see in Dresden and Prague

    Oh, and if you have an extra day to kill whilst staying in Prague, and feel like retreating from the hubbub, it's roughly a 1.5hr bus journey to Louňovice pod Blaníkem, the Central Bohemian village where Zelenka was born and grew up.* It's very small and quiet, surrounded by quite pretty countryside of forest covered hills and valleys. It has a beautiful memorial to him outside and inside of the Church, and the 'Zamek' (fort/castle) is worth seeing too.


    It's also quite a nice walk up to the top of the hill 'Velký Blaník'. Though, when I went in October, the tower at the top was closed unfortunately, so my view was blocked by the trees! At Malý Blaník, the small adjacent hill, there are some ruins where there used to be a chapel to Mary. Both these hills would have been sacred sites to the local and wider Bohemians, so Zelenka must have gone to them on multiple occasions. Velký Blaník also has Romantic National significance, being the place that, according to medieval legend, the knights of St. Wenceslas are sleeping, and will rise up again in case Czech lands were in dire need.


    * Use this website http://jizdnirady.idnes.cz/autobusy/spojeni, to find specific times. They only go every couple hours, from Praha,,Roztyly, and there's one transfer at Beňesov. Likewise, there's only a few buses coming back!

  • Zelenka-related sites to see in Dresden and Prague

    Enjoy! I too went to both places for the first time last summer, and was blown away. Lots and lots to see and reflect upon.


    I could imagine Zelenka being in so many places in and around Prague, and his music has been played in a number of the churches (including the Cathedral) over the centuries, but here's a couple tangible places that Zelenka was surely at:


    1. St. Nicholas church (& former Jesuit College), Malá Strana
    2. The Prague Riding School courtyard


    1. Where his earliest known piece was performed, Via Laureata ZWV 245
    2. Where Fux's opera Constanzza e Forte was performed in 1723 (and, from what I remember, Zelenka may have also performed in). 'The Gallery Café' is on the side of this courtyard which looks over the 'Deer Moat'. It's just off the grand pedestrian road that goes into the Castle Complex from the North. I went inside there casually in Summer, and only do I now realise that it was the site of an almighty Baroque operatic staged performance!


    Also, if you didn't know already, Ensemble Inégal will be performing Gesu Al Calvario, Zelenka's 1735 oratorio, in the Rudolfinum on the 15th of May! See here

  • Website's future

    Terrific news indeed - and a relief! jdzelenka.net does hold something very special and rare, and, as Alistair said, the forum is lucky to have people who give it such a buzz. I'm glad that things can be worked forwards into a future, and I'm sure it will be a great one. Zelenka lives on.


    Thank-you King Max for taking up the mantle, I pledge my fealty in your reign...


    ...seriously though, rest assured you'll have help and support in this :)

  • 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

  • XVIII century hidden treasures on Spotify

    Thanks for these Elwro!


    Spotify is such a treasure trove indeed, but the free "shuffle" version is terrible for us Baroque nuts and for classical music in general... I did manage to listen to a lot of Graupner and Homilius before my premium free trial finished.


    The Goldberg Baroque ensemble under Szadejko are brilliant, I highly recommend their high quality YouTube videos too. Clearly, there was a thriving musical culture in Gdańsk in the late 17th and most of the 18th centuries, and we can hear it thanks to this thriving Polish ensemble, and what must be some great research going on in the background.

  • Revisiting the old catholic court church building

    Great find RNKT! Really does make it easier to visualise. I was there this August and was standing on top the Zwinger walls looking down on where it would have been. But, things are so different now.


    Very close to Sophienkirche indeed. It seems WF Bach was a quite a young'n when he first was employed there, only 23 years old - that's my age!! When Zelenka died in 1745, he would have been 35 years old: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilhelm_Friedemann_Bach . That's a good 12 years in which they could have met, I think the chances are extremely high, particularly with his father being known, in some way, to Zelenka.


    Seb