Magnificent music to end the season, from the perfection of Bach to the splendour of Zelenka.
The final concert in our anniversary season begins with the burst of exuberance and invention that is Bach’s Magnificat, a timeless musical description of devotion and grace.
High on Bach’s list of favourite composers (an enthusiasm now shared by Tafelmusik audiences) was Jan Dismas Zelenka, a Bohemian immigrant to Saxony. We continue our exploration of Zelenka’s music with our debut performance of his Mass Missa Divi Xaverii, a work of miraculous beauty and dazzling joy. Chamber Choir Director Ivars Taurins presides over this very special end to a celebratory season.
What’s interesting about this concert?
Bach’s Magnificat is one of his most popular choral works, at turns ebullient, tender, and powerful. [and a fitting end to our anniversary season].
A remarkably concise piece, Bach’s Magnificat uses an astonishing variety of compositional techniques and styles in a work that is just over 25 minutes long.
Zelenka, often referred to as the “Bohemian Bach” was a Czech double-bass player and composer employed at the Saxon court in Dresden. C.P.E. Bach listed him as among the composers most admired by his father, Johann Sebastian.
Tafelmusik has championed the works of Zelenka over the years, surprising audiences with performances of several of his masses. The original sources of Missa Divi Xaveriiwere damaged or lost, so it remained out of reach. The Czech conductor Vacslav Luks recently completed a reconstruction, and we discovered on the pages of this new score a joyful and celebratory work, a fitting end to our anniversary season.
Pre-concert chat with Tafelmusik alto Kate Helsen.
