Music in Prague

[doversoul1]

Lucie Skeaping presents a profile of music in Prague - a political, cultural and economic focus of central Europe for more than 1100 years, and home to composers such as Brixi, Regnart, Myslivecek and Brentner; as well as many famous musical visitors like Machaut, Mozart and Gluck.
(R)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01gvr07

Not sure about Mozart (being in the EMS, that is) but plenty of unfamiliar composers’ music.

[richardfinegold]

I just returned from Prague, Salzburg and Vienna yesterday. While Prague has a great history of Music making, the Austrian cities seem to breathe music.

[salymap]

One of my great regrets is thatI never visited Prague. I went to Salzburg about 50 years ago, always hoped to see Prague, the Wenceslas Statue, the river, the links with some of my favourite composers.but never made it

Chris Newman and I had some wonderful conversations about the City and its music and his painting of Prague rooftops in the snow is still on my photo gallery.

Sorry doversoul, I know nothing about those early composers so off topic.

[richardfinegold]

Doversoul, was Zelenka one of the composers featured? He was active in Prague; the CD shops that I visited there actively displayed recordings of his music

[richardfinegold]

One of my great regrets is thatI never visited Prague. I went to Salzburg about 50 years ago, always hoped to see Prague, the Wenceslas Statue, the river, the links with some of my favourite composers.but never made it

Chris Newman and I had some wonderful conversations about the City and its music and his painting of Prague rooftops in the snow is still on my photo gallery.


Sorry doversoul, I know nothing about those early composers so off topic.

I just did a "bucket list" trip to Prague, Budapest, Vienna and Salzburg. I just turned 56, and from the standpoint of my business, this was a terrible time to go. However, I have seen far to many people never realize their travel hopes and then when they are to infirm to manage such a trip have to many regrets. Hopefully sallymap, you still have an opportunity.

[salymap]

Afraid as I'm well into my 80s it's a little late for trips like that Richard. Let that be a warning to others though.

[doversoul1]

Doversoul, was Zelenka one of the composers featured? He was active in Prague; the CD shops that I visited there actively displayed recordings of his music

According to the playlist, no, Zelenka isn’t in this programme. But I think his music is more often played on Radio 3 these days. Not long ago, Through the Night played a substantial choral work (I think) by Zelenka. There are quite a lot of concert performances on youtube, too. A group like Collegium 1704 may be worth looking out for for Czech Baroque although they play a lot of Handel as well (very good, they are, too).

[jayne lee wilson]

I had a major crush on Zelenka this summer and discovered the tiny specialist label NIBIRU, who have recorded most of his greatest sacred works with the performers ENSEMBLE INEGAL/PRAGUE BAROQUE SOLOISTS directed by ADAM VIKTORA, and a wonderful group of soloists. Among the highlights...

MISSA OMNIUM SANCTORUM ZWV 21
MISSA PURIFICATIONIS BEATAE VIRGINIS MARIAE ZWV 16
MISSA SANCTISSIMAE TRINITATIS ZWV168
MISSA SANCTI JOSEPHI ZWV 14
and the oratorio IL SERPENTE DI BRONZO.
Part of the pleasure with Nibiru is the lovely CD presentation and very lively and informative notes.

COLLEGIUM 1704 \VACLAV LUKS have made fine recordings too:
on ACCENT - OFFICIUM DEFUNCTORUM/REQUIEM
on ZIGZAG - MISSA VOTIVA ZWV 18 and the oratorio I PENITENTI AL SEPOLCRO ZWV 63

One of his greatest masses, the MISSA DEI PATRIS, can be found on CARUS with BAROCKORCHESTER STUTTGARTetc/FRIEDER BERNIUS, with another fine MISSA VOTIVA too (the Luks one is the wilder of the two, the Bernius one more polished.)

All of these have given me huge pleasure - the crush became a true love...

There's a lovely, truly classic DG Collectors' Edition of the ORCHESTRAL WORKS and TRIO SONATAS with CAMERATA BERN/ALEX VAN WIIJNKOOP and soloists including Barry Tuckwell and Heinz Holliger, whose first recordings of the Trio Sonatas are included. I much prefer this to the Period Instrument CPO set of the Capriccios, the Camerata aren't a large group and play with that much more warmth and a great sense of responding to each other across the stage...

PAUL DOMBRECHT'S ensemble have a classic period-instrument recording of the TRIO SONATAS on ACCENT.

Overall I feel the most inspired of his works are the Masses and the Trio Sonatas, but just plunge in anywhere really... if you can download, one of the liveliest instrumental works is the intriguingly named HIPOCHONDRiE A 7 CONCERTANTI in A major. (Presto Classical offer all the DG set separately as separate lossless files).

[amateur51]

I had a major crush on Zelenka this summer and discovered the tiny specialist label NIBIRU, who have recorded most of his greatest sacred works with the performers ENSEMBLE INEGAL/PRAGUE BAROQUE SOLOISTS directed by ADAM VIKTORA, and a wonderful group of soloists. Among the highlights...

MISSA OMNIUM SANCTORUM ZWV 21
MISSA PURIFICATIONIS BEATAE VIRGINIS MARIAE ZWV 16
MISSA SANCTISSIMAE TRINITATIS ZWV168
MISSA SANCTI JOSEPHI ZWV 14
and the oratorio IL SERPENTE DI BRONZO.
Part of the pleasure with Nibiru is the lovely CD presentation and very lively and informative notes.

COLLEGIUM 1704 \VACLAV LUKS have made fine recordings too:
on ACCENT - OFFICIUM DEFUNCTORUM/REQUIEM
on ZIGZAG - MISSA VOTIVA ZWV 18 and the oratorio I PENITENTI AL SEPOLCRO ZWV 63

One of his greatest masses, the MISSA DEI PATRIS, can be found on CARUS with BAROCKORCHESTER STUTTGARTetc/FRIEDER BERNIUS, with another fine MISSA VOTIVA too (the Luks one is the wilder of the two, the Bernius one more polished.)

All of these have given me huge pleasure - the crush became a true love...

There's a lovely, truly classic DG Collectors' Edition of the ORCHESTRAL WORKS and TRIO SONATAS with CAMERATA BERN/ALEX VAN WIIJNKOOP and soloist including Barry Tuckwell and Heinz Holliger, whose first recordings of the Trio Sonata are included. I much prefer this to the Period Instrument CPO set of the Capriccios, the Camerata aren't a large group and play with that much more warmth and a great sense of responding to each other across the stage...

PAUL DOMBRECHT'S emsemble have a classic period-instrument recording of the TRIO SONATAS on ACCENT.

Overall I feel the most inspired of his works are the Masses and the Trio Sonatas, but just plunge in anywhere really...

Very interesting jayne - many thanks for pulling all this together, much to get stuck into.

[Miles Coverdale]

Slight shame there was no Philip de Monte, who is buried in St James Church in Prague.

[Hornspieler]

This is a painting that I made on return from Prague after a strenuous 14 day tour of five countries. It shows the River Moldau and the Wenceslas castle(?) on the hilltop, as seen from the front of our final concert venue - Dumumelcu (The Hall of the Artists).

We were waiting for more than an hour for our bus to the airport and several of us got into conversation with some members of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, who had come specially to bid us farewell.

HS

[doversoul1]

Many thanks, Jayne. You’ve got me youtube-ing

Here’s one:
Zelenka Missa Omnium Sanctorum ZWV 21

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZNYtML_Zrg

This is by Collegium 1704

…and one for Trio Sonata : Ensemble Zefiro

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4P_GSTdlTZ0

..and for Philippe de Monte
Super flumina babylonis

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmt61v7FOC4

[ed.] …and here are some Nibiru CDs available (this is just from Presto Classics)

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/advsearch.php?composer=&work=&performer=&medium=all&label=NIBIRU&cat=

[richardfinegold]

This is a painting that I made on return from Prague after a strenuous 14 day tour of five countries. It shows the River Moldau and the Wenceslas castle(?) on the hilltop, as seen from the front of our final concert venue - Dom Umelcu (The Hall of the Artists).

We were waiting for more than an hour for our bus to the airport and several of us got into conversation with some members of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, who had come specially to bid us farewell.

HS

I love the painting. You are a man of many talents.
btw, based on my visit last week, it is very unusual to hear of the river in Prague referred to as the "Moldau". Vlatava seems to be the only way to refer to it. When I used the word Moldau to a few Czechs they would quickly reply with the word Vlatava. The legacy of WWII, no doubt.
Speaking of which, and OT, the most moving experience of my Prague stay was a visit to the church of St. Cyril and St. Methodius. This is where the assassins of Reinhard Heydrich had their fatal shoot out with the Gestapo in 1942. Bullet holes pockmark the crypt, and quite a few people leave flower wreaths as memorials.

[richardfinegold]

Many thanks, Jayne. You’ve got me youtube-ing

Here’s one:
Zelenka Missa Omnium Sanctorum ZWV 21

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZNYtML_Zrg

This is by Collegium 1704

…and one for Trio Sonata : Ensemble Zefiro

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4P_GSTdlTZ0

..and for Philippe de Monte
Super flumina babylonis

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmt61v7FOC4

[ed.] …and here are some Nibiru CDs available (this is just from Presto Classics)
http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/adv...el=NIBIRU&cat=

Zelenka's output was primarily liturgical, and jayne has covered it well. I first became attracted to his instrumental music.
Camerata Bern (featuring Heinz Holliger amongst others) has a 5 CD set on Archiv Production devoted primarily to CApriccios and Trio Sonatas that is outstanding, but the aforementioned Ensemble Zefiro on Astree has an album of Sonatas for 2 Oboes and bassoon that is the most amazing disc of anything that I have ever heard.
Of a slightly lesser quality, but still worth investigating, is the 3 disc cpo set of various Orchestral works.

[amateur51]

This is a painting that I made on return from Prague after a strenuous 14 day tour of five countries. It shows the River Moldau and the Wenceslas castle(?) on the hilltop, as seen from the front of our final concert venue - Dom Umelcu (The Hall of the Artists).

We were waiting for more than an hour for our bus to the airport and several of us got into conversation with some members of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, who had come specially to bid us farewell.

HS

Cracking painting, HS