V / A: They met 3 / J. Pavlica and guests - CD

This third compact disc, which arose from the Ostrava television studio's music series 'Sešli se.' (They Met), features music from the various guests of Jiří Pavlica, who gathered at the Parník club in Ostrava from 1996 onwards. These were unforgettable and beneficial meetings. Musicians of different genres and opinions, along with the audience, tested their tolerance, their joy in playing together, and also the realisation that it is good when we can listen and compare.
Each meeting had a musical, as well as a non-musical, theme, and it was a pleasure to discover how different musicians approached it.
Jiří Pavlica is the guide, co-creator, and irreplaceable personality of the series. As a composer and creative performer, he is able to explore and confidently navigate the cultures of other countries, continents, and layers of time. He was able to capitalise on this strength during the 'Sešli se.' concerts in joint improvisations, but also in their various thematic focuses.
This third instalment of the series offers a selection of compositions often described as spiritual music.
For the first part of the CD, the Parník club setting was exchanged for the oldest church in Ostrava, St Wenceslas, because most of the pieces performed were created for a church. Thanks to the fascinating musical personalities, the meeting became a walk through the history of Christian music, from the early Middle Ages to the present day.
Based on mutual tolerance, which was the fundamental principle of all the 'Sešli se.' concerts, diverse performers sang and played alongside each other to show just how varied this music is.
Alongside the host group Hradišťan, with spiritual songs performed by Alice Holubová, stood the New Literary Brotherhood Chorosch from Prague, who mainly sing Gregorian chant and medieval polyphony. The singers also succeed in reviving music from old hymn books and finding connections between the thinking of the past and the present.
Renaissance sacred music was presented by the vocal ensemble Madrigal Quintet Brno, under the direction of Roman Válek. However, the chamber choir of the Orthodox Church of Saints Cyril and Methodius, Oktoich from Wrocław, Poland, left an extraordinary impression in Ostrava. Their performance featured polyphonic and deeply felt compositions from the earliest days of Christianity to works by contemporary composers. A schola of students from Olomouc universities, Střípky, presented the most widespread contemporary musical expression of young Christians.
The full essence of these musical gatherings would not have been fulfilled without joint playing and singing. Compositions in which the dialogue with God, with the Universe, is incredibly powerful began to emerge around 1960 in a community of young people in the French village of Taizé. Due to their simplicity and potential for variation, they are accessible to almost everyone. In this case, to both the audience and the performers. That is why they also frame the first part of the CD.
The second part of the CD loosely follows on from the first, but returns to the Parník club environment, where contemporary spiritual expression from distant corners of the world also came together.
The first track, 'Kéž by svět trval' (May the World Last), is a setting by Jiří Pavlica of a 13th-century Japanese poem, which came about from his meeting with the Japanese instrumentalist Yaz-Kaz.
Oboroh, a folk-rock band from Eastern Bohemia, mainly dedicates itself to setting biblical texts to music, as is evident from the titles of their selected songs.
Although this instalment presents music with rather serious philosophical themes, it too does not shy away from a joint improvised performance by all participants in 'Noemova modlitba' (Noah's Prayer).
We believe that this encounter with the spiritual dimension in music will be not only pleasant but also interesting, as this phenomenon has always played a significant role in shaping both individuals and the history of nations. Therefore, every composition heard here reveals one of the paths that human and musical spiritual testimonies take.

Tracklist

Sešli se. Jiří Pavlica and guests Vol.3 / from the concert in the Church of St. Wenceslas in Ostrava / Laudate omnes gentes - all performers and audience / Můj milý člověče - Alice Holubová and Hradišťan / Kyrie, Rex Genitor - Nové literátské bratrstvo Chorosch from Prague / Gaude Virgo Mater - Nové literátské bratrstvo Chorosch from Prague / Pane Bože, buď při nás - Madrigal Quintet Brno / Píseň novou Pánu zpívejme - Madrigal Quintet Brno / Kristus z mrtvých vstal - Orthodox choir Oktoich from Wrocław / Blažený muž - Orthodox choir Oktoich from Wrocław / Radujte se všichni lidé - Orthodox choir Oktoich from Wrocław / Neboť Bůh měl svět tak rád - Lenka Dubcová, Karel Peschke and Schola of students from Olomouc Střípky / Právě teď - Pavel Kocián and Schola of students from Olomouc Střípky / Ej, ctná Panna - Alice Holubová and Hradišťan / Laudate Dominum - all performers and audience / from the concert at the Parník club in Ostrava / Kéž by svět trval - Alice Holubová, Jiří Pavlica and Hradišťan / Žalm 14 a 126 Stanislav Klecandr, Roman Dostál and Oboroh / Modlitba Noemova Stanislav Klecandr and all performers