TP-ANTONÍN DVOŘÁK: STABAT MATER
STABAT MATER : A magnificent work performed by top performers
Hradec Králové Philharmonic
Leoš Svárovský - conductor
Tereza Mátlová - soprano
Šárka Hrbáčková - alto
Martin Šrejma - tenor
Pavel Švingr - bass
Kühn's Mixed Choir
Jakub Pikla - choir master
Organizer : UFFO under the auspices of the city of Trutnov
Patron of the concert : the city of Trutnov
Thursday 31 October ** UFFO ** 19:00 hours ** entrance fee 490 CZK ** advance ticket sales from 2 September
Program :
Antonín Dvořák: Stabat Mater for solos, mixed choir and orchestra op. 58 B 71
01. Stabat Mater Dolorosa (quartet and choir). Andante con moto
02. Quis est homo, qui non fleret (quartet). Andante sostenuto
03. Eja, Mater, fons amoris (chorus). Andante con moto
04. Fac, ut ardeat cor meum (bass solo and chorus). Largo
05. Tui Nati vulnerati (choir). Andante con moto, quasi allegretto
06. Fac me vere tecum flere (tenor solo and chorus). Andante con moto
07. Virgo virginum praeclara (chorus). Largo
08. Fac, ut portem Christi mortem (duo soprano and tenor). Larghetto
09. Inflammatus et accensus (alto solo). Andante maestoso
10. Quando corpus morietur (quartet and chorus). Andante con moto
Antonín Dvořák: Stabat Mater
Antonín Dvořák wrote the original version of the Stabat Mater for solos, mixed choir and piano, which he described as a piano version, between February 19 and May 7, 1876. Dvořák sent the manuscript to Vienna on July 30, 1876, as an attachment to his application for an artistic scholarship, which actually received We don't know why he chose this particular subject. The creation of the work was later linked to the death of Dvořák's three children. It is assumed that Dvořák's decision to compose the Stabat Mater may be more related to his work as an organist in the Prague church of St. Vojtěch. Here, Dvořák was in constant contact with church music and saw the baroque altar of St. Crosses with a sculpture of Calvary. The impulse could also be the regotization of the church of St. Vojtěch and its reopening after reconstruction in the spring of 1876. Palestrina's Missa ascendo ad Petrem was performed on this occasion. As we know, Dvořák completed the Stabat Mater later.
The death of their daughter Josefa undoubtedly affected the young couple Anna and Antonín Dvořák very much. At that time, however, they still had two children, the first-born son Otakar (born 4 April 1874) and a daughter Růženka (born 18 September 1876). A different situation occurred in September 1877 after the loss of the named children (Růžena dies on August 13, Otakar on September 8). The suddenly childless Dvořák couple found it very difficult to come to terms with the tragic blow of fate. Back in the tragic September, Dvořák completes the Symphonic Variations op. 78, then he returns with his pain and sorrow to the biblical theme of mourning for Christ, i.e. to the Stabat Mater. Originally (i.e. in 1876) the work had only seven parts. In October 1877, Dvořák expanded the original version by three parts.
The work was first performed by Adolf Čech in Prague on 23 December 1880. It was followed by a Brno performance under the baton of Leoš Janáček at a more liturgically appropriate time – on Palm Sunday in 1882. The Budapest performance took place three days later, on the Wednesday of Holy Week of the same year. The London premiere a year later on the Saturday before the 5th Sunday of Lent had a literally explosive response and Dvořák was soon invited to conduct his work without any concert conducting experience. The triumphant performance in the mammoth Royal Albert Hall, which was only thirteen years old at the time, took place in front of almost ten thousand listeners on March 13, 1884, the Thursday before the third Sunday of Lent.
Hradec Králové Philharmonic
It was founded in 1978 under the name Orchestra of the City of Hradec Králové, a year later the ensemble was renamed the Hradec Králové Symphony Orchestra, and in 1987 the Hradec Králové State Symphony Orchestra. Since the founding of the Czech Republic (January 1, 1993), the orchestra has been called the Hradec Králové Philharmonic.
A significant period of the body's artistic flourishing is associated with the name of prof. František Vajnara, who worked as chief conductor with the orchestra continuously from 1991 to 2001, when he was appointed honorary chief conductor. In the years 2001–2012, Ondřej Kukal was the chief conductor, and in the years 2012–2018, Andreas Sebastian Weiser. Since the 2018/2019 season, the chief conductor of the FHK is the prominent Swiss conductor Kaspar Zehnder.
FHK performed in Belgium, France, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Austria, Spain and Switzerland. Selected concerts are broadcast by Czech Television, Television Noe and Czech Radio. The achieved interpretation quality of the orchestra is documented by numerous recordings for domestic and foreign companies or for Czech Radio. FHK performs at important festivals (Prague Spring, Smetanova Litomyšl, Janáčkovy Hukvaldy, Český Krumlov, etc.).
Since 2005, FHK has been organizing the unique Hradec Králové Music Forum festival in cooperation with Czech Radio Vltava, during which it has performed Czech premieres of works by Schnittke, Penderecký, Henze, Kančeli, Gubajdulina, Corigliano, Tan Dun, Pärt and others. All concerts of the Music Forum are regularly broadcast live by Czech Radio Vltava. The Hradec Králové Philharmonic has long been dedicated to reaching out to a younger audience, mixing musical genres and performing crossover concerts.
Prof. Leoš Svárovsky
He studied flute and conducting at the AMU in Prague (received the AMU Rector's Award) with the renowned prof. Václav Neumann. He began his career at the Prague National Theater in Prague as Zdenek Košler's assistant. In 1991, Herbert von Karajan invited him to collaborate with George Solti, Claudio Abbad and the Vienna Philharmonic at the Sommer FestSpiele Salzburg. Since January 2020, Leoš Svárovský has been a professor at the conducting department at the AMU in Prague.
From the beginning of his career, he worked as chief conductor and conductor of excellent Czech and Slovak orchestras: Prague Chamber Opera (1985–1987), Janáček Philharmonic Ostrava (1991–1993), State Philharmonic Brno (1991–1995), Sinfonietta Žilina (1995–2000), with the same orchestra since 2010 as principal guest conductor, Pardubice Chamber Philharmonic (1997–2009), Prague State Opera (also artistic director, 2003–2005).
From 2014 to 2019, he was the chief conductor of the Aichi Central Symphony Orchestra Nagoya, where he is now a permanent guest conductor. He is a permanent guest conductor of the B. Martinů Philharmonic in Zlín, an honorary member of the Brno Philharmonic and an honorary chief conductor of the Slovak Sinfonietta orchestra. He is regularly invited to the stages of important music festivals in the Czech Republic and abroad.
Leoš Svárovský is the president of the Emma Destinová International Music Festival in České Budějovice, a popular guest conductor at the Smetanova Litomyšl Festival, in Český Krumlov, at Janáčková Mája, the Easter Sacred Music Festival in Brno, at the Petr Dvorský MHF in Jaroměřice nad Rokytnou and in Brno na Špilberk.
He regularly performs at the prestigious Rheingau Musik Festival, was also a guest at other international music festivals, such as Europäischen Wochen Passau, Aspekte Salzburg, George Enescu Festival Bucarest, Colorado Musik Festival, Settimane musicali di Ascona, Bratislava Music Festival, Musica Sacra Nuremberg, Dias da Música em Belém, Merano International Music Festival and others.
Tereza Matlova
He is dedicated to opera, operetta and musicals. She studied opera singing at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague and at the Bach Academy in Stuttgart. As a soloist, she performs on leading theater stages in the Czech Republic and abroad. She was twice nominated for the Thalia Award – for the role of Constance in Mozart's Abduction from the Seraglio and for her performance of the role of Rusalka in the opera of the same name by A. Dvořák. She won an award as talent of the year at the opera festival in Wexford, Ireland. She also sang on the tour of Eva Urbanová and the unforgettable Karel Gott. He is a guest at the National Theater in Prague and on other stages.
Šárka Hrbáčková
She studied singing at the conservatory in České Budějovice. Already during her studies, she performed on the stage of the South Bohemian Theater opera, where she got several first solo opportunities. In 2004, she became a guest opera soloist of the Silesian Theater in Opava, where she accepted an engagement in 2005. In addition to the South Bohemian Theater, she also worked at the JK Tyla Theater in Pilsen, the Moravian-Silesian National Theater in Ostrava, and was also a guest on the stage of the FX Šalda Theater in Liberec. Since 2014, he has been a regular guest on the stage of the Prague State Opera. He also devotes himself to concert and spiritual music.
Martin Srejma
He graduated from the Prague Conservatory. During his studies, he won the Antonín Dvořák International Singing Competition in Karlovy Vary (2002 and 2004), and in 2004 he was also awarded the prize of the National Theater in Prague. In 2005 he became a soloist of the Prague State Opera, since 2012 he has been a soloist of the National Theater Opera in Prague. He also performs at the National Theater in Brno, at the Moravian-Silesian National Theater in Ostrava, at the FX Šaldy Theater in Liberec, and at the JK Tyla Theater in Pilsen. He is often invited to perform in cantatas, oratorios and operas.
Pavel Švingr
The soloist of the National Theater in Prague graduated from Prague's HAMU and also studied at the Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst in Vienna. He also cooperates with regional opera scenes - with the North Bohemian Theater in Ústí nad Labem, the South Bohemian Theater in České Budějovice and the JK Tyla Theater in Pilsen. He participated in a number of domestic and international competitions, where he won many awards. He is also engaged in concert activities.
Kühn's Mixed Choir
It is one of the largest Czech choirs and has been in the music world for over 60 years. It devotes itself to the choral repertoire of all periods, including performing contemporary music, performing large vocal-instrumental works and, last but not least, filming film music.
The choir is associated with the name of an outstanding figure in the Czech choral tradition, Pavel Kühn (1938–2003),
who founded the ensemble in 1959. The choir gradually established itself in concert halls and recording studios
studies as a top body focusing on a cappella works of the Romantic period and on oratorical and
cantata repertoire, which he performed and still performs mainly in close collaboration with
The symphony orchestra City of Prague FOK and its conductors. The ensemble was also a partner of other prestigious symphonic ensembles, whether domestic or foreign.
In the 1980s, the choir was invited to several projects of the Nederlands Dans Theater, where they
participated in performances by choreographer Jiří Kylián with music by I. Stravinsky, M. Ravel,
L. Janáček, B. Martinů and P. Eben. The choir has a number of excellent recordings to their credit
stylistic periods (including the complete choral work of B. Martinů, the ensemble recording of Fibichová
the Hippodamia trilogy, the opera Lancelot L. Fischer and others). Recording of film music has always been one of the outstanding activities of the choir.
In 2009, the choir took part in the extensive two-year Martinů revisited project, when it performed at
Prague Spring with a performance of "police" cantatas by Bohuslav Martinů. A few months later
Smetana's Litomyšl Field Mass was performed on the stage. Since 2014, the choir has been cooperating with the National Theater Opera. The choir also functions as an organizer and initiator of cultural events. The leading choirmaster is Jakub Pikla.
Jakub Pikla
Choirmaster, conductor, music director and cultural activist. Since 2022, he has been the lead choirmaster of the Kühn Mixed Choir.
After studying at the Chotěboř Gymnasium, he graduated from the Pardubice Conservatory and the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague. As part of his studies, he also completed an internship at Kungliga Musik Högskolan in Stockholm. He collaborated with important Czech orchestras. During his studies, he was the second choirmaster of the Pardubice Children's Choir Iuventus Cantans and VUS Pardubice. Between 2019 and 2021, he worked as an accompanist for the Ballet of the National Theater in Prague. Since 2016, he has also been the leader of the mixed choir Doubravan Chotěboř.
He currently works as a teacher at the Pardubice-Polabiny School of Education. In his spare time, he devotes himself to organ preservation, composing, arranging and also organizing cultural life.