Thursday 15 October 2015

Bury Court Opera - Zelenka rediscovered

Jan Dismas Zelenka
Said to be Jan Dismas Zelenka,
but probably not as there is
no known image of him
Bury Court Opera is espousing the cause of the Bohemian composer Zelenka and in a programme entitled The Bohemian Bach, will be performing music by Zelenka, including his Missa dei Filii (composed around 1740) and music from his operas, alongside music by Bach. Performers will include the Spiritato! ensemble and Barts Chamber Choir under the direction of harpsichordist and conductor Julian Perkins, with soloists include Magid El Bushra (countertenor) and Eliana Pretorian (soprano). The concert is being performed a St John's Smith Square on 20 October 2015 and repeated at Bury Court on 1 November. More information and tickets from the Bury Court Opera website

Jan Dismas Zelenka (1679-1745) was born in a small market town East of Prague, and trained initially in Prague before being sponsored to travel to Dresden where he played in the Hofkapelle. From then on Zelenka was based in Dresden though his life was not without disappointments, he failed at first to get the post of Kapellmeister which went to Hasse. Zelenka did actually gain the title of 'Church Composer' to the Dresden Royal Court in 1735. Bach was then granted the same title in 1736, joining alongside Zelenka and two other Dresden composers (Giovanni Ristori and Tobias Butz). So in total there were 4 officially titled 'Church Composers' in Saxony. But Bach seems to have thought well of Zelenka. (Update/correction courtesy of correspondents, see comments).

5 comments:

  1. Thanks for the post! I can't wait for the Bury Court event, which I'll be attending. Zelenka's music is a wonder to behold.
    A correction to your above statement: Zelenka *did* actually gain the title of 'Church Composer' to the Dresden Royal Court in 1735. Bach was then granted the same title in 1736, joining alongside Zelenka and two other Dresden composers (Giovanni Ristori and Tobias Butz). So in total there were 4 officially titled 'Church Composers' in Saxony. Such misunderstandings about Zelenka are very easy to make and can spread just as easily, so pardon my eagerness to correct you :)

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for the corrections, with such vagueness about him and so many inaccuracies it is difficult to get a correct picture of him

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    2. Indeed, sadly! There is only one brilliant comprehensive resource to date about him by an Australian professor, Janice Stockigt, and it costs nigh £200 to buy due to lack of print... ( http://www.amazon.co.uk/books/dp/0198166222 ) Thankfully, google-books allows a tiny preview: https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=aw9TdUkG6WkC&hl=en .

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  2. A further comment (forgive me) - that picture is *not* of Zelenka. There currently is no known confirmed image of him (most unfortunately!). Thanks again for posting!

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  3. Hello it's me again, I have since realised that Ristori was not granted that 'Church Composer' title! (I consulted Janice Stockigt's book noted above, pp. 62 and 210) He did compose a lot of sacred works for the Court, but a lot more secular. This confusion just serves to illustrate your above point about the lack of clear information available...

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