Petite Messe Solennelle
- Kyrie
- Gloria
- Laudamus Te
- Gratias
- Domine Deus
- Qui tollis
- Quoniam
- Cum Sancto Spiritu
- Credo in unum Deum
- Crucifixus
- Et resurrexit
- Et vitam venturi
- Prélude religieux / Ritournelle
- Sanctus
- O salutaris
- Agnus Dei
A virtual choir of singers from Vocalatté and Apollo choirs
Tomáš Vinař
Piano: Adam Štefunko, Jozef Kováč
Harmonium: Tomáš Vinař, Jozef Kováč
Singers from Vocalatté and Apollo choirs
Director: Tomáš Vinař
Recorded virtually 2020-2021
Soloists:
Soprano: Katarína Žilková (3), Denisa Hanušovská (6,15), Marianna Gábová (6,10,12,14,16), Mária Ivančáková (9,11)
Alto: Marianna Takáčová (3,9), Mária Hurbanová (4,11,14,16), Anna Ľubušká (12)
Tenor: Tomáš Vinař (3,4,5,9,11,12,14)
Bass: Július Žatko (3,11), Michal Švehlík (4,7,9,12,14)
The COVID-19 pandemic, starting in early 2020, had a profound impact on choir singing. There have been several cases around the world where a choir rehearsal has led to a superspreading event and even deaths. Therefore (not only) in Slovakia, choir singing during 2020 and 2021 was severely restricted, banned, or at least not recommended by health authorities. The rehearsals took place only occasionally, whenever the epidemic situation permitted. Concerts with the audience became a rare treat for us.
Unable to pursue choral singing, I began to look for possible online opportunities, and I was fascinated by the concept of a virtual choir. The founder of this concept is the American composer and conductor Eric Whitacre, who premiered his song Lux Aurumque in 2010 as a virtual choir. Instead of the singers meeting in one place, each singer receives a video recording of a conductor and some version of the music (e.g. piano accompaniment). This track is used by individual singers both to rehearse the song and to record their parts. The individual recordings are then put together electronically, and everyone is surprised at how it sounds in the end (pleasantly or otherwise).
Thanks to the pandemic, virtual choir projects have attracted many singers in lockdowns around the world. This was not only because of the opportunity to sing, but also thanks to a rich program of streamed rehearsals with interesting people (conductors, composers), and the opportunity to chat with singers from other countries over the internet. Eric Whitacre's sixth virtual project (Sing Gently), in which I participated in 2020, ivolved more than 17,500 singers from 129 countries. I was also inspired by the British Stay at Home Choir project under the direction of conductor Tori Longdon and singer-conductor Jamie Wright, who managed to build a vibrant community across several virtual projects. One of the few things that is not technically possible by conventional means, however, is synchronized singing of several singers, so after recording, everyone has to wait for the result with anticipation.
Under the influence of these interesting experiences, I decided to try the production and conducting of virtual projects involving friends from the Apollo and Vocalatté choirs. Early on, we successfuly produced several short projects (Skyfall project with Vocalatté and Irish Blessing project with the Apollo choir). This convinced me that technically we should be able to manage something more ambitious, perhaps a project that we would not be able to produce easily as a live concert.
Rossini's Petite Messe Solennelle for two pianos, harmonium, choir, and soloists, which has 16 parts and lasts about 80 minutes, seemed like enough challenge. As a choir singer, I had the opportunity to sing this composition with Cornell University Chamber Singers during my stay at Cornell University in the USA. It has become one of my favorite choral pieces, and the idea of directing it was very tempting. The choir members recorded the choir parts over time of two years, using videos with the piano accompaniment and conducting as a basis for their recordings; in addition, in more demanding passages, more experienced singers recorded individual parts in advance, so that it was possible for others to join the already existing quartet. To unify the expression, I have prepared interpretation notes that singers watched before recording their parts. Most singers recorded on their mobile phones in such conditions as they could manage at home. However, for most of the solo parts, we used a professional microphone to achieve a better sound quality.
I would like to thank all the singers who took part in this project for their patience and perseverance. In total, the project took us almost two years, we had a lot of fun, and I hope that the result will please you as well. None of the singers have heard the whole performance; I sent them only short excerpts, so perhaps the result will surprise them as well (hopefully on a positive level).
Tomáš Vinař, December 2021
Choir
Soprano: Marianna Gábová, Jana Gajdošová, Marieta Horáčková (1), Mária Ivančáková, Lucia Miglierini, Zuzana Valentínová (1), Katarína Žilková
Alto: Dana Blaškovičová (1), Mária Božová (1), Mária Hurbanová, Lenka Matejovičová (1), Anna Ľubušká, Véronique Svitková, Marianna Takáčová
Tenor: František Kardoš, Adam Štefunko (14), Tomáš Vinař, Šimon Zámečník (1)
Bass: Jozef Kováč (14), Michal Švehlík, Július Žatko
Soloists
Tomáš Vinař (conductor, production, harmonium, tenor soloist) has received basic piano and singing training as a child. Over the last 25 years, he has sung with several choirs in Slovakia, Canada, and in the USA. Currently, he is a member of Apollo and Vocalatté choirs, and since 2020 he has participated in several international virtual choir projects (Eric Whitacre's Virtual Choir 6, Stay at Home Choir). As a soloist, he performed as the Pilate in the Jesus Christ Superstar project of Vocalatté choir. He conducts and produces virtual choir projects as a hobby. In the real life, he is an associate professor of computer science at the Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Informatics of Comenius University in Bratislava.
Adam Štefunko (piano) has studied cognitive science at the Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Informatics of Comenius University in Bratislava. He is currently exploring secrets of old music performance at the Janáček Academy of Musical Arts in Brno. He plays a variety of keyboard and wind instruments with mathematical precision, and he also teaches piano. He plans to pursue doctoral studies in cognitive science.
Jozef Kováč (piano, harmonium) started his musical endeavours as a member of Bratislava Children Choir, and also studied piano. Later, he was a member of Lúčnica choir. At present, he is a pianist for the Vocalatté choir, and he also sings in chamber ensembles Blu Dal Cielo, and Oct.opus, and in Voci allegre choir.
Katarína Žilková (soprano solo 3) has received a basic piano training as a child. Later she was a member of a folk group Luscinia and she was also a member of a theater group Scéna. She is an active member of the Apollo choir for over 25 years.
Denisa Hanušovská (soprano solo 6,15) started singing as a four year old. As a child, she was a member of a Children Choir Ensemble Margarétka and the Children Choir of the Slovak Radio. She was a two-time winner of "Slávik Slovenska" competition (2006, 2009). She studied singing at the Church Art School in Bratislava and she was a member of several ensembles, including Vocalatté choir, a choir in Jane Eyre production of the Slovak National Theatre, and Vox Aeterna choir. As a part of the opera studio, she has performed several musical roles, including cold princess in the production of Tibor Frešo opera Martin and the Sun. She is one of the founders of the vocal ensemble Blu Dal Cielo, with which she won the "Viva ulica" competition in 2019. She also studied the interpretation of old music in the class of Ján Gréner. Since 2020, she is a student at the Academy of Musical Arts in Prague, where she studies opera singing under the direction of professor Magdaléna Hajóssy.
Marianna Gábová (soprano solo 6,10,12,14,16) has received basic singing and piano training. She is a long-term member of church choirs Cé and Melodar; currently she is also a member of Vocalatté choir, she is part of the vocal ensemble Blu Dal Cielo, and she teaches singing in Gloria Dei choir. She is a sixth year student at the Pink Harmony Art School in Zvolen. She studied at the Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Informatics of Comenius University in Bratislava.
Mária Ivančáková (soprano solo 9,11) loves singing a variety of musical styles, from folk songs to sacred choral works, since she was a child. In the past, she was participating in several singinging competitions. She also studied singing for a few years in the course for adults. Occasionally, she serves as a choral director of the church choir in Jánovce. She is a long-time member of Apollo choir.
Marianna Takáčová (alto solo 3,9) loves musics in all of its forms. She received basic piano and flute training and at the same time she also started singing in choirs, which has become an indispensable part of her life. She is a long-term member of Apollo choir and occassionally she performs on a flute and piccolo in the Sećovce Town Firefighter Wind Ensemble.
Mária Hurbanová (sólo alt 4,11,14,16) sings all music genres since being a child. She studied singing for almost two years. She was a member of ensembles Lúčnica, Vocalatté, Voci Allegre, and Blu Dal Cielo. She is proud to be an alto and also likes sight reading.
Július Žatko (bass solo 3,11) has received a basic training in accordeon. He sings in Apollo choir for over 25 years and at present he is the choir's executive director. He is also a soloist of Schola gregoriana Bratislavensis. He was a member of the cast of the production of Víťazoslav Kubička's opera "Martin Luther". As an accordeonist he collaborates with the Modra theatre MoKRAĎ and ensemble Kraľovan. He studied mathematics and computer science at the Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Onformatics of Comenius University in Bratislava, and economics at the University of Economics in Bratislava. At present, he works as an IT architect.
Michal Švehlík (bass solo 4,7,9,12,14) studied violin and at present he is a 4th year student of singing at the Pink Harmony Art School in Zvolen. He was a member of several ensembles, including the Chamber String Ensemble (5 years as a concert master), old music ensemble Chorea Antiqua (5 years as a concert master), Technik Chamber Orchestra, and several amateur singing groups. In 2011, he was a co-founder of the Vocalatté choir, and he serves as Vocalatté choir director to date. In 2018, he founded an á capella quintet Blu Dal Cielo. He always knew that it is difficult to earn living as a musician, thus he studied at the Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Informatics of Comenius University in Bratislava and now works as a financial analyst.
cover design Dana Blaškovičová