Famous Jazz Spirituals

The recording of the concert of the vocal choir Martinů Voices in the Church of St. Wenceslas in Opava.

The recording of the concert of the vocal choir Martinů Voices in the Church of St. Wenceslas in Opava presents the audience with a repertoire of famous spirituals in spectacular and virtuoso jazz arrangements.

Martinů Voices is a top vocal ensemble that focuses mainly on the interpretation of 19th and 20th century chamber choral works, though during its eleven-year career it has also expanded its scope to include compositions from earlier periods. The ensemble consists of professional singers who work under the direction of renowned choirmaster Lukáš Vasilek, who is also the principal choirmaster of the Prague Philharmonic Choir.

Martinů Voices are regular guests of the most esteemed Czech music festivals, such as Prague Spring, Dvořák's Prague, Strings of Autumn, St Wencelsas music festival, etc.

They perform mostly independently, but some projects are also realised in cooperation with domestic orchestras and conductors. They are involved in numerous recordings of symphony or chamber orchestras, their recording of Bohuslav Martinů's chamber choral works was nominated in the "Recording of the Year" category by the "Classic Prague Awards" and was also nominated for the "BBC Music Magazine Awards 2018".

Spirituals, a phenomenon of American culture, have gained popularity primarily for their catchy melodies and rhythms, on the basis of which jazz began to take shape in the early 20th century. The program of the Martinů Voices concert includes mostly arrangements by Henry Thacker Burleigh, a black composer whose spirituals influenced even the work of Antonín Dvořák.

Production Company Czech Television
Genre Live Recording
TV Director Joel Hána
Distribution TV Czech Television
Camera Petr Vejslík
Video format MP4/H264, MOV
Duration 60 min.
Production year 2023