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Event Details
TENEBRAE: WORLD PREMIERES
The Dark Hours of this year’s Easter Festival presents a confrontation of liturgical compositions by contemporary Czech and Moravian composers. The setting of the Lamentations and Responsories was this time in close collaboration with the participating composers of the younger and middle generation, but also in collaboration with a specially formed vocal-instrumental ensemble that will interpret all three tenebrae.
TENEBRAE I
LUKÁŠ HURNÍK – the first nine responsories
ZDENĚK KLAUDA – the first three Lamentations of the prophet Jeremiah and Miserere
Kristýna Fílová soprano (Lukáš Hurník)
Zuzana Čurmová soprano
Alžběta Symerská alto
Ondřej Holub tenor
Jiří Miroslav Procházka bass
Zdeněk Klauda organ positive
P. Jan Pacner reciter
The Christian ceremonies in the last week of Lent – Holy Week – were accompanied by the prayers of the so-called dark hours (Tenebrae). These were mostly nocturnal or matutinal services that due to their length were gradually moved to the eves of the relevant days of the Paschal Triduum. Their structure was complex, combining psalms, readings and sung answers (responsories). The regular, three-part structure of the matins informed the selection of readings: the first nocturn had three sung lamentations, the second Saint Augustine’s commentaries on the psalms and the last readings from Saint Paul’s epistles.
The texts of the first nocturn are taken from the Old Testament Book of Lamentations. Although more recent studies indicate that the book was not in fact authored by Jeremiah, it closely follows his prophetic ministry. Jeremiah preached zealously against tepid religiosity and the pursuit of self-interest, and so disseminated ideas that generally were not welcomed. He exhorted that Israel must come back to God: at the conclusion of each Lamentation, an admonition that is not part of the original Book – “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, return to the Lord your God!” – is heard. Most of the Lamentations were written as acrostics in the original Hebrew, with each verse beginning with one of the 22 successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet.
The responsories, by contrast, reflect the events of the last days of Jesus Christ in the light of Old Testament prophecies, and are not directly connected with the People of Israel. If a quotation from, or a minor commentary on, a section of the New Testament appears, it tends to be fairly terse (e.g., Seniores populi and Sepulto Domino).
Commissioned by the festival, the extensive musical settings this year are presented in a world première. Six composers – two for each day – have taken up the task of writing music for the lamentations, responsories and the penitential psalm, Miserere.
The outline of the days is as follows: three lamentations are always followed by three responsories; the penitential psalm 51(50) is added in conclusion. Therefore, over three evenings we will hear all nine of Jeremiah’s lessons, all 27 responsories and three musical settings of the penitential psalm. Our comprehension of the Latin texts will be made easier by the recitation of the Czech translations. This is a unique project that one would be hard pressed to find parallels to in the contemporary musical world.
THE CONCERT TAKES PLACE IN THE CHURCH NANEBEVZETÍ PANNY MARIE
Estimated length of the concert 1 hour 40 minutes, without intermission
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Tenebrae continues the following two nights
Thursday: TENEBRAE II: KREJČÍ, PELIKÁN
Tomáš Krejčí – second nine responsories
Jaroslav Pelikán – the second three Lamentations of the Prophet Jeremiah and Miserere
Friday: TENEBRAE III: MÚČKA, PROCHÁZKA
Ondřej Múčka – third nine responsories
Jiří Miroslav Procházka – third three Lamentations of the Prophet Jeremiah and Miserere
