M1 Christmas Concert

ABOUT

Ravel’s fairy-tale suite My Mother Goose, the lyrical Five Greek Folk Songs and the newly discovered Chanson galante — all of these will be heard in the concert program, which carries the lightness of French music and a festive atmosphere. The conclusion will be the unique Czech Christmas Mass “Hey Master!” by Jakub Jan Ryba, an indispensable symbol of Czech Christmas, which has been connecting listeners for generations with its joyful and sincere melodiousness.

Program 

Maurice Ravel
Mother Goose (Ma mère l’Oye), M. 60 — Five Children’s Pieces

Maurice Ravel
Five Greek Folksongs, M.A 4–5, 9–11

Maurice Ravel
Chanson galante (Czech premiere)

Jakub Jan Ryba
Czech Christmas Mass

Performers 

Slávka Zámečníková – soprano
Jolana Slavíková – mezzo-soprano
Ondřej Holub – tenor
Lukáš Bařák – baritone
Czech Philharmonic Choir Brno
Petr Fiala – choirmaster
Janáček Philharmonic Ostrava
Tomáš Brauner – conductor

Maurice Ravel originally composed Mother Goose as a piano duet for the children of his friend, the sculptor Cyprian Godebski. In this enchanting suite, Ravel musically portrays several French fairy tales published in the 17th century by Charles Perrault and Marie-Catherine d’Aulnoy.

The Five Greek Folksongs were also a light, occasional composition. In 1904, musicologist Pierre Aubry asked Ravel to provide piano accompaniments, which he completed in just thirty-six hours. The songs were published in 1906, and soon after, Ravel decided to orchestrate them.

As a small Christmas gift to the audience, the program will include the Czech premiere of Ravel’s recently rediscovered Chanson galante, a short work for choir and orchestra on a text by French poet Armand Silvestre. Likely composed during Ravel’s student years at the Paris Conservatory under Gabriel Fauré, it received its first modern performance only last year in France.

This year also marks a double anniversary for Jakub Jan Ryba — 260 years since his birth and 210 years since his death. The teacher and composer from Rožmitál pod Třemšínem remains a living presence in Czech musical culture. Ryba’s Czech Christmas Mass (“Hej mistře!”), first performed in 1796, quickly spread from the choir loft in Rožmitál and has since become an enduring symbol of Czech Christmas celebrations.