Album
Tomáš Šelc, Collegium Marianum, Jana Semerádová
Lacrimae / Jan Dismas Zelenka
Catalogue Number: SU 4353-2
Published: 28th March 2025
Genre: Vocal
Format: 1 CD
Jan Dismas Zelenka (1679–1745) – Lamentation I for Holy Wednesday for bass, two oboes, strings, and basso continuo (ZWV 53). Confitebor tibi Domine for bass, strings, and basso continuo (ZWV 71). Salve Regina* for bass, strings, and basso continuo (ZWV 139). Giuseppe Tartini (1692–1770) – Flute Concerto in G major (Gimo 293).
Tomáš Šelc – bass. Collegium Marianum. Jana Semerádová – flute, artistic director
Tomáš Šelc devotes himself to the cantata and oratorio literature of the 18th through the 20th centuries, romantic lieder, and opera, collaborating with outstanding orchestras, ensembles, and conductors (Bamberger Symphoniker, Budapest Festival Orchestra, Orchestre National des Pays de la Loire, Collegium 1704, Collegium Vocale Gent, Taverner Consort etc.). It is, however, in the works of Jan Dismas Zelenka and of J. S. Bach that he seems to be most at home. Therefore, the choice of Zelenka for his Supraphon debut was clear, as was his collaboration with the renowned ensemble Collegium Marianum. The album presents three of Zelenka’s great liturgical works for bass, composed in the milieu of the Dresden court ensemble within a span of seven years. The masterfully invoked atmosphere of gloom of the first Lamentation of Jeremiah (1722) for the Tenebrae liturgy, dignified praise of the Lord in the psalm Confitebor tibi Domine (1729), and pleading cries from this world’s vale of tears in the Marian antiphon Salve Regina (1724) are brought to us with all their urgency by the silky colour of Šelc’s voice. The Flute Concerto by Giuseppe Tartini reminds us that it is not only from the depths of darkness that we cry out; heights of gentle consolation are truly within reach as well. Those heights resound here in the tender and colourful tones of the flute played by Jana Semerádová, driving the clouds away and brings smiles to our faces. Depths of darkness and radiant lightness of being are two inseparable dimensions of life on this earth.
The unmistakable bass of Tomáš Šelc at the service of Jan Dismas Zelenka
Tomáš Šelc – bass. Collegium Marianum. Jana Semerádová – flute, artistic director
Tomáš Šelc devotes himself to the cantata and oratorio literature of the 18th through the 20th centuries, romantic lieder, and opera, collaborating with outstanding orchestras, ensembles, and conductors (Bamberger Symphoniker, Budapest Festival Orchestra, Orchestre National des Pays de la Loire, Collegium 1704, Collegium Vocale Gent, Taverner Consort etc.). It is, however, in the works of Jan Dismas Zelenka and of J. S. Bach that he seems to be most at home. Therefore, the choice of Zelenka for his Supraphon debut was clear, as was his collaboration with the renowned ensemble Collegium Marianum. The album presents three of Zelenka’s great liturgical works for bass, composed in the milieu of the Dresden court ensemble within a span of seven years. The masterfully invoked atmosphere of gloom of the first Lamentation of Jeremiah (1722) for the Tenebrae liturgy, dignified praise of the Lord in the psalm Confitebor tibi Domine (1729), and pleading cries from this world’s vale of tears in the Marian antiphon Salve Regina (1724) are brought to us with all their urgency by the silky colour of Šelc’s voice. The Flute Concerto by Giuseppe Tartini reminds us that it is not only from the depths of darkness that we cry out; heights of gentle consolation are truly within reach as well. Those heights resound here in the tender and colourful tones of the flute played by Jana Semerádová, driving the clouds away and brings smiles to our faces. Depths of darkness and radiant lightness of being are two inseparable dimensions of life on this earth.
The unmistakable bass of Tomáš Šelc at the service of Jan Dismas Zelenka
Reviews
“All three works are for solo bass singer with orchestra, and while Zelenka has been a favorite composer of mine for years this was my first introduction to these works. Tomáš Šelc is magnificent — his voice powerful but sweet and his somber expressiveness first-rate.”
CD HotList, May 2025
“Wunderbar, wie Tomáš Šelc und das Collegium Marianum die Musik von Jan Dismas Zelenka hier musizieren… Zart und innig singt Tomáš Šelc… die Flötistin Jana Semerádová gläntzt als Solistin in dem G-Dur Konzert von Giuseppe Tartini. Ihr Album heißt Lacrimae und ist bei Supraphon erschienen und hat mir so manche Gänsehautstelle beschert, so famos wird hier zusammen musiziert.”
SWR Kultur, May 2025
“Tomáš Šelc kann in den drei Zelenka-Werken seinen profunden, wohlklingenden Bass vorteilhaft einbringen. Das aus nur zwölf Musikern bestehende Collegium Marianum sorgt unter der Leitung von Jana Semerádová für eine Begleitung, Bieder im Text ausgedrückten Trauer und Tiefe der Empfindung gerecht wird.”
Opernglas, June 2025
“Hier bereits kann der Bassbariton Tomáš Šelc seine in diversen Lagen weiche und betörende Stimme vorführen. Er versteht es, dabei sehr starke Emotionen zu entwickeln, die jedoch stets geschmackvoll in das Ganze eingebunden sind und entsprechend nie vordergründig wirken.”
Fono Forum, July 2025
“Bass Tomas Šelc delivers performances that are vividly expressive but without histrionic excess. They are poised, balanced, and with a reverential understatement… The program is filled out with a concerto by Giuseppe Tartini… here it is played on a baroque transverse flute by Jana Semeradova… She astounds us with her playing of the most florid passages, making them seem almost effortless.”
American Record Guide, August 2025
“The performance by the Collegium Marianum is excellent. They know instinctively when the music requires a slow march but easily transitions into the more contrapuntal portions. Conductor and solo flautist Semerádová has a nice liquid tone that is pure and blends well with the ensemble. Bass Tomáš Šele has a lighter voice, with a good sense of bringing the emotions of the texts out. The coloratura is muted, but he is able to handle it with a good clear tone… Lamentation settings are perhaps not easy to listen to on their own, but here the fine performance and the intriguing music make this a worthwhile disc. Recommended.”
Fanfare, September 2025
|
Jan Dismas Zelenka
|
|||
| 1. | Lamentation I for Holy Wednesday, ZWV 53 | 13:47 | |
|
Giuseppe Tartini
Flute Concerto in G major Gimo 293
|
|||
| 2. | I. Allegro | 06:18 | |
| 3. | II. Largo andante | 05:52 | |
| 4. | III. Allegro II | 05:33 | |
|
Jan Dismas Zelenka
Confitebor tibi Domine, ZWV 71
|
|||
| 5. | I. Confitebor | 03:43 | |
| 6. | II. Memoriam | 06:41 | |
|
Jan Dismas Zelenka
Salve Regina, ZWV 139
|
|||
| 7. | I. Salve Regina | 05:08 | |
| 8. | II. Ad te clamamus | 02:22 | |
| 9. | III. Eia, ergo, advocata nostra | 02:04 | |
| 10. | IV. Et Jesum, benedictum | 03:46 | |