Vičar Jan: High Star (carols) - CD

The CD brings a mixture of European and Czech Christmas carols in the cantatas High Star and Rejoice.

The cantata Tereza's Stars is inspired by the poems of Jiří Žáček.

The CD contains three cantatas by Jan Vičar composed in the coronavier period 2020-2021. The title track, High Star, draws on the cultural, folkloric and spiritual heritage of Europe. It features an original stylisation of six popular Christmas carols interspersed with excerpts from Gruber's Stille Nacht. Cantata for choir and orchestra Let us rejoice! elaborates five of the most popular Czech Christmas songs. Forty-minute composition for children's choir, Baritone, recitation, string orchestra and harp Theresa's Stars on verses by Jiří Žáček is an attempt to express peace, beauty, dreams, the joy and well-being of children - the depths of security in the brutal, in the perverse (non-adult) world of today.

More than 200 singers and musicians perform in premiere studio recordings and on a 72-minute CD:

* Permoník Karviná led by choirmasters Martina Juríková and Karina Grimová,
* Campanella Olomouc under the direction of Jana Synková,
* Jitřenka České Budějovice led by choirmaster Elvira Gadžijeva,
* baritone Filip Bandžak,
* Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra Olomouc conducted by Jakub Klecker,
* Janáček Philharmonic Ostrava conducted by Stanislav Vavřínek,
* Václav Bahník as "Grandpa",
* Anička Lantová as "Terezka";
* The music and sound directors were Pavel Kunčar and Jakub Stratílek.