Contact: zittacat@yahoo.co.uk

Antiquities 2009

 

A new page!
A new page has appeared on our website: go to Discography on navigation bar and next to Vladimír Godár’s pieces on CDs you will find out a new page with DVDs of films with his music!

An opening concert of the Strings of Autumn festival took place on September 22, 2009,  7.30 pm in Estates Theatre in Prague. It was a profile concert of the singer Iva Bittová. Among other compositions the pieces Lullabies and Maykomashmalon from the Godár’s CD Mater sounded – accompanied by the Prague Philharmonia led by Jakub Hrůša.

The second “Concert of Lullabies” was prepared for the Convergences festival by Vladimír Godár in a cooperation with the violinist Peter Hamar and soprano singer Eva Šušková on September 19, 2009 in Bratislava Clarisse Church. The theme of the concert was “European violin lullaby” and we were led on a kind of map of Europe by the musicians. Arvo Pärt, T. D. A. Tellefsen, Armas Järnefelt, Jean Sibelius, Jonathan Harvey, Frank Bridge, Benjamin Britten, Joaquín Rodrigo, Gabriel Fauré, Eugène Ysaÿe, Maurice Ravel, Ottorino Respighi, Valentin Silvestrov, César Cui, Serge Bortkiewicz, Igor Stravinskij, Alexander Albrecht, Miska Hauser, Fritz Kreisler, Béla Bartók, František Neruda, Jaroslav Kocian, Jenő Hubay, Stan Golestan, Karol Szymanowski, Alexander Moyzes and Vladimír Godár – these are the names of the composers, whose lullabies were played at the concert. www.konvergencie.sk

 

The significant music publishing house Faber Music has announced the cooperation with Vladimír Godár:
“We are delighted to announce a new publishing relationship with the distinguished Slovak composer, Vladimír Godár (b.1956). ...
Faber Music has now signed an exclusive contract with German label, ECM Records, in respect of the six Godár works on the ‘Mater’ album: Maykomashmalon; Magnificat; Lullabies; Ecce Puer; Stabat Mater and Regina coeli.  In addition to these we will be publishing other works, to be announced in due course.
The uplifting choral anthem Regina coeli and Dormi, Jesu (an exquisite and gentle Christmas carol for unaccompanied choir) will be appearing in printed Faber editions in the next few months, and will both feature on a new full-length CD by Schola Cantorum of Oxford and James Burton, showcasing the new Faber Choral Signature Series.”
The CD is titled Sweet is the Memory and the pieces by Vladimír Godár are featured next to the works by ten other important contemporary composers. The score of Dormi, Jesu is already on sale; you may get it on:
http://www.fabermusic.com/serverside/publications/Search.asp

An important European festival of choral singing Europa Cantat took place in Utrecht, the Netherlands this year. On the occasion of performing Händel’s Te Deum the festival asked Vladimír Godár to write a pendant composition to this piece celebrating the Treaty of Utrecht. Thus cantata Querela pacis originated, which was premiered in Utrecht on July 23rd, 2009, by the choir consisting of the participants of the festival, who learned it together with the Händel’s piece in several days. The soloists were Marieke Steenhoek and contraalto Jan Kullmann. They were accompanied by the chamber ensemble of period instruments The Northern Consort conducted by Florian Heyerick.

 

The following pictures are from the same event, their author is the photographer Johan Maat. It is possible to buy the CD from the concert with the works by Händel and Godár on the www.audio-video-aktuell.de. More particular information concerning the Utrecht festival is to be found on www.europacantatutrecht.nl, www.europacantat.org, the next event will take place in Torino (Italy) in 2012 www.ectorino2012.it.

 

For twenty years each summer the British cellist Robert Cohen invites his friends and colleagues – some of the most outstanding musicians of today – to join him for music-making in Charleston Manor. This year a Slovak cellist Jozef Lupták was his guest, too. Together they performed several compositions, Vladimír Godár’s Variations on Slovak Folk Music for two celli among them. The concert took place on June 20, 2009 in Charleston Manor in Great Britain.

Conductor Mario Košík and Symphonic Orchestra of the Slovak Radio performed the Godár’s piece Tombeau de Bartók at the seasonal concert on April 15, 2009 at 7.00 pm. The event was broadcast live at the Radio station Devín.

In April the Swiss piano trio Trio animae gave several concerts in Switzerland with a programme featuring three pieces by Vladimír Godár: The Swan Song, Variazioni facili, and Emmeleia. More information on the webpage Past events, 2009 of this website. 

The new CD has been already aired: Immediately after receiving the CD Marvin Rosen from the American radio station wprb has inserted the piece by Vladimír Godár Little Suite for Little David into his programme Classical Discoveries on April 8, 2009. It was the world broadast premiere of the composition, which he had branded as “Absolutely delightful music!"

In February 2009 a new CD Šeban – Godár – Breiner – Kolkovič was released by the Hevhetia record company, featuring orchestral works of the Slovak composers. Besides Little Suite for Little David by Vladimír Godár, a guitarist Andrej Šeban presents his Opus I., Peter Breiner Guitaralia Notturna and Jozef Kolkovič Andante-Allegro. Slovak Sinfonietta Žilina is conducted by Peter Breiner, soloists are Andrej Šeban, Stanislav Palúch (Godár) and Bratislava Guitar Quartet (Martin Krajčo, Radka Krajčová, Miloš Slobodník, Miloš Tomašovič) in the Breiner’s piece.

The Czech Film and Television Academy has announced the nominations for the Czech Lion 2008 award (30th Jan 2009). One of the nominees is also Vladimír Godár. He is nominated for the CD Mater music used in the film A Country Teacher (directed by Bohdan Sláma). Vladimír Godár has already been awarded the Czech Lion twice for the film music to The Idiot Returns (1999) and The City of Sun or Working Class Heroes (2005).