Jan Dismas Zelenka: "Laetatus sum" [ZWV 90]- Galou, Bertagnolli & Collegium 1704_complete

COMMENT AND SUNG TEXT/ TRANSLATIONS
This unforgettable, ultra-rare perfomance of Jan Dismas Zelenka's extensive number setting of the Psalm 122(1) "Laetatus sum" (ZWV 90) took place in Hamburg's Concert Hall Laeiszhalle 23.09.2011. Unfortunately, this shaky amateur recording done by myself from the audience is all I can offer ( but at least the music is excellent...).

Soloists Gemma Bertagnolli (s) & Delphine Galou (a) fascinated with their artistry, backed up by the always outstanding Collegium 1704, directed by Václav Luks.

According to Zelenka expert Janice Stockigt, Zelenka probably composed the demanding vocal parts for two Italian castrati who arrived in Dresden in 1730. Secure knowledge about ZWV 90's original performance circumstances is however inattainable, because the autograph is lost. ZWV 90 survives in Prague as a unique copy - fortunately of reliable quality - written by Antonín Görbig while he was musical director of the choir of the city's cathedral between 1734 and 1737.

ZWV 90's impressive vocal ranges, in addition to a rich instrumentation that varies between each of the six alternating duet/ solo numbers, makes this composition not only one of Zelenka's most exceptional and ambitious within the genre - maybe together with ZWV 57 - but also the very longest (about 20 min, depending on the performers) of all his surviving Psalm settings.

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TEXT & TRANSLATIONS:
Psalm 122 (121, Latin Vulgate)
New American Standard Bible (1995)
LATIN TEXT (VULGATA VERSION):
Canticum graduum huic David
-------------------------------------------------
"LAETATUS SUM"
DUET (a, s), (c. 0 -3.45 min):
I) Laetatus sum in his, quae dicta sunt mihi: In domum Domini ibimus.
Stantes erant pedes nostri, in atriis tuis, Jerusalem.
Jerusalem, quae aedificatur ut civitas, cujus participatio eius in ipsum.

ARIA FOR SOPRANO SOLO (c. 3.55-7.05 min):
II) Illic enim ascenderunt tribus, tribus Domini: testimonium Israel ad confitendum nomini Domini. Quia illic sederunt, sedes in iudicio, sedes super domum David.

DUET (a, s) (c. 7.20-9.56 min):
III) Rogate quae ad pacem sunt Jerusalem: et abundantia diligentibus te.

ARIA FOR ALTO SOLO (c. 10.05-14.25 min):
IV) Fiat pax in virtute tua: et abundantia in turribus tuis. Propter fratres meos, et proximos meos, loquebar pacem de te. Propter domum Domini Dei nostri, quaesivi bona tibi.

+ DOXOLOGIA MINOR (PARS 1 & 2)

DUET (a, s), (c. 14.40-16.18 min):
V) Gloria Patri et Spiritui Sancto.

DUET (a, s), (c. 16.20-19.20 min):
VI) Sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper, et in saecula saeculorum. Amen.

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ENGLISH TRANSLATION
(Prayer for the Peace of Jerusalem.) "I WAS GLAD"
I) I was glad when they said to me, "Let us go to the house of the LORD."
Our feet are standing Within your gates, O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, that is built As a city that is compact together;


II) To which the tribes go up, even the tribes of the LORD— An ordinance for Israel — To give thanks to the name of the LORD. For there thrones were set for judgment, The thrones of the house of David.

III) Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: "May they prosper who love you.

IV) "May peace be within your walls, And prosperity within your palaces." (Alternative translation of the above "Fiat pax (...)"-phrase from the Douay-Rheims Bible: "Let peace be in thy strength, and abundance in thy towers.") For the sake of my brothers and my friends, I will now say, "May peace be within you." For the sake of the house of the LORD our God, I will seek your good.

+ LESSER DOXOLOGY (PART 1 & 2)
v) Glory to the Father and to the Holy Spirit.

vi) As it was in the beginning, also now, and always, and to ages of ages. Amen

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Hamburg 23.09.2011
Collegium 1704 consisted of the following musicians this evening:

VIOLINE I
Helena Zemanová (Concert Master)
Jan Hádek
Martina Štillerová
Markéta Knittlová

VIOLINE II
Jana Chytilová
Simona Tydlitátová
Petra Šcevková

VIOLA
František Kuncl
Lýdie Cillerová

VIOLONCELLO
Hana Fleková

KONTRABASS
Ondrej Balcar

THEORBE
Jan Krejca

FLÖTE
Julie Braná
Lucie Dušková

OBOE
Susanne Regel
Tereza Pavelková

FAGOTT
Stephan von Hoff

SINGERS
Gemma Bertagnolli (soprano)
Delphine Galou (alto)

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Jan Dismas Zelenka
• Delphine Galou
• Gemma Bertagnolli
• Psalm
• Laetatus sum
• ZWV 90
• Collegium 1704
• Václav Luks
• Prague
• concert

[morindhe]

Makes you wonder about the virtuosity of the singers and instrumentalists of the Dresden court. Thanks for this surreptitious recording.

[STIANVF]

@morindhe You're welcome. Yes, ZWV 90 serves to illustrate why the Dresden Court Chapel reputedly had the best musicians in Europe during the decades around 1750. Zelenka was lucky to have them, just like they (and we) were (are) lucky to have him. It's an obvious, but demanding masterpiece that deserves a recording by competent musicians like Collegium 1704. See homepage regarding Cds ecc.: search collegium1704dotcom/en . Fortunately Ensemble Inagal is about to release "Barbara, dira, effera".

[STIANVF]

@morindhe I meant Ensemble Inegal, of course, at the moment probably their only worthy Zelenka-competitor in terms of quality and quantity. For details, search: "nibiru-publishers . com/index.php?action=Listing&S­=Hudba&Start=0&lang=English"

[rostomic]

Speechless ... not for the faint of heart!... simply an awesome performance... definitively an unforgettable moment!