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Discussion: Vladimir Godar: Mater - Bittová, Valent, Štryncl

Posts: 21
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Post by rosenkavalier817 June 26, 2007 (1 of 21)
I already bought the RBCD of this album a month or so ago, having no idea it would be released on SACD. Oh well, in any case, very much looking forward to this!

Post by brenda June 26, 2007 (2 of 21)
rosenkavalier817 said:

I already bought the RBCD of this album a month or so ago, having no idea it would be released on SACD. Oh well, in any case, very much looking forward to this!

dear RosenK, can you tell us anything about the music? B

Post by rosenkavalier817 June 26, 2007 (3 of 21)
brenda said:

dear RosenK, can you tell us anything about the music? B

It really is hard to describe. It's a cantata-type piece with 7 movements all featuring a remarkable female soloist, Iva Bittová, choir and orchestra, revolving around the theme of "mother". The texts are from various sources (I believe) and are in Latin and other languages. The music at times sounds Eastern, sounds medieval and modern, all at the same time. The textures are wonderful. I listed to it using Neo6 and it was a wonderful wash of sound, which is why I'm so excited for the SACD version. It really is hard for me to describe, so please don't read too much into my words. There are glowing reviews around, including one from Classics Today, which I am unable to find at the moment. Here's what Amazon says:

Amazon.com
Vladimir Godar, born in Bratislava in 1956, writes beautiful music. He is best known for his film scores in his own country, but these seven pieces, collectively called Mater, scored for female voice, chorus and Baroque string orchestra, should gain him fame on the same scale as a "classical" composer. There are hints of Arvo Pärt's devotional minimalism here, with Gorecki and Monteverdi not far behind, but the decidedly Slavic tinge to the music makes it unique. Working with the archtypes of "mother" and "woman," sometimes specifically the Virgin Mary, more often not, these are reflections on life, death and resurrection, sometimes in the textual forms of the well-known "Magnificat," "Stabat Mater" and "Regina coeli," but adding to them a Yiddish song, a poem by James Joyce, and a pair of Slovak lullabies. There are repeated melodies and instrumental motifs, and the music has great character; it is immensely moving. The Czech singer Iva Bittova is neither an opera nor pop singer; her singing is "cultivated folk." Her voice has intense colors: it can be warm as well as edgy, it throbs but can be occasionally as cool and vibrato-free as a Celtic storyteller. One can report on what goes on musically here--the way the strings stab dissonantly at times, the way long melodies keep showing up, the way the chorus interjects and takes over in one selection--but the emotional impact is more important and can't be described. Suffice it to say that Godar never lapses into sentimentality or bathos, but he does touch the soul. A ravishing, important CD. --Robert Levine

Product Description
Vladimir Godar's Mater is a moving cantata comprised of seven compositions for female voice, mixed choir and Baroque string orchestra playing on historic instruments. The work is a meditation on the circle of human life united under the archetypes of "woman" and "mother": protecting, consoling, mourning, but also as objects of praise and adoration. The texts come from Slovak lullabies, sacred Christian texts, Yiddish songs and a poem by James Joyce. The music is highly atmospheric and melodic, and fans of Arvo Part, Henryk Gorecki, John Tavener and early music will be drawn to this music.

The unifying element of Mater is one of the most remarkable figures in contemporary vocal art: Iva Bittova. Often compared to Laurie Anderson or Meredith Monk, Bittova's voice is mostly warm and tender but also displays a wide array of expressive shades. The Philadelphia Inquirer writes that Bittova "seems to operate from some musical ground zero - one that also puts you in touch with the most elemental purpose of music, and why you first came to love it."

Post by brenda June 26, 2007 (4 of 21)
rosenkavalier817 said:.....It's a cantata-type piece with 7 movements ....
Many thanks Rosenk, it sounds really interesting, & I'll look out for a copy. Cheers, B

Post by flytomars June 30, 2007 (5 of 21)
WOW, an SACD with Iva Bittova? this I got to have :)
Do you know of any other SACD titles with her?

Post by flytomars July 10, 2007 (6 of 21)
I think there is some kind of mistake here-
I have bought this CD,
Pavian records- PM0024-2
It is NOT a hybrid SACD, but a regular CD in a really nice package...
It says nowhere on the cover that this is indeed an SACD, but in the site from which I bought this it was written- "Exclusive cover. Hybrid SACD."
which is just half right :/

Anyone here actually got the Hybrid SACD? I have a fear that such thing doesnt exist...
which is a real shame, because so far this sounds great and with a great potential for MC treatment...

Post by zeus July 10, 2007 (7 of 21)
flytomars said:

I think there is some kind of mistake here-
I have bought this CD,
Pavian records- PM0024-2
It is NOT a hybrid SACD, but a regular CD in a really nice package...
It says nowhere on the cover that this is indeed an SACD, but in the site from which I bought this it was written- "Exclusive cover. Hybrid SACD."
which is just half right :/

Anyone here actually got the Hybrid SACD? I have a fear that such thing doesnt exist...
which is a real shame, because so far this sounds great and with a great potential for MC treatment...

What's the barcode of the disc you have? This recording would seem to be available under a number of guises from Pavian Records, Indies Scope Records and lastly ECM.

Post by flytomars July 10, 2007 (8 of 21)
Like I wrote-
Pavian records- PM0024-2
or you mean this number? 981 840-9
Anyway, its the same as the one written here...

Post by flytomars July 10, 2007 (9 of 21)
Sorry, the second number I gave is wrong :)
There is only this -
PM0024-2
and on the CD itself the number that is etched- PM0024-2 NEW

Post by zeus July 10, 2007 (10 of 21)
flytomars said:

Like I wrote-
Pavian records- PM0024-2

The number below the barcode is the one I'm after.

I found the above on eBay. All we now need to do is work out which version is the SA-CD.

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