Poet and lyricist Michal Horáček premiered his new concert project, Pozemský prach a Boží dech (Earth Dust and God’s Breath), at the State Opera in Prague on Monday evening, following the release of his poetry collection by Argo in May and an album launch at Radiocafé, Novinky reported.
State Opera Concert Draws Political Figures and Full House
The Prague State Opera performance drew a completely filled auditorium, with Petr Pavel, his wife Eva, and former Slovak Zuzana Čaputová watching from a private box. The concert was split into two distinct halves dedicated to the Old Testament and the New Testament. Steven Mercurio, an American conductor and composer, led the Czech National Symphony Orchestra. They were joined on stage by the Kühn Mixed Choir, the State Opera Prague Choir, and the Ivo Viktorin Band, while actress Magda Vášáryová recited biblical passages between musical numbers.
Diverse Lineup Adapts Biblical Figures into First-Person Songs
“The book is not primarily for believers, but looks at events of the Old and New Testaments from the perspective of cultural anthropology and through generally human experiences,” Horáček explained, according to Novinky. Musicserver.cz added that Horáček told the audience the project aims to let modern listeners compare their own challenges to the personal experiences of biblical figures speaking in the first person. Seventeen of the roughly one hundred musical adaptations were selected for the initial album released last week. Vocal soloists at the State Opera included Katarína Koščová, Markéta Irglová, Naďa Válová, Adam Krofian, Robert Křesťan, Ivo Viktorin, Michael Kocáb, Roman Janál and others, performing styles ranging from rock to opera.
Musical Collaborations Across Genres
Composer and musician Ivo Viktorin described how he received forty-four texts from Horáček in April of last year and initially hesitated due to his secular perspective before finding inspiration in a human-centric verse. “I didn’t write music for text before, but I’ll gladly try it,” Viktorin told musicserver.cz, noting that the resulting fourteen songs served as a seventieth birthday gift. Michael Kocáb also contributed to the project, experimenting with a blend of opera and chanson in the closing track Ezechiel: Takoví jsme byli
featuring vocalists Vanda Šípová, Vojta Pelka, Roman Janál, and Richard Samek. “Without some experiments and attempts, no one would ever get anywhere,” Kocáb remarked to Novinky regarding the cross-genre approach.
Frequently Asked Questions About Pozemský prach a Boží dech
When was the poetry collection published?
The collection of poems written by Michal Horáček was published by the Argo publishing house on May 11.
How many musical adaptations were created from the poems?
Musicians and composers produced approximately one hundred different musical adaptations of Horáček’s poems, out of which seventeen tracks were selected for the initial album.
Who conducted the orchestra at the State Opera?
American conductor and composer Steven Mercurio led the Czech National Symphony Orchestra during the Monday evening performance at the State Opera in Prague.
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