Slovak Philharmonic Choir
Zoltán Kocsis-Holper choirmaster
Yvetta Slezáková husle
Tomáš Nemec piano

Concert à cappella 

Béla Bartók
Antonín Dvořák
Johannes Brahms
Eric Whitacre
Zoltán Kodály
Zdeněk Lukáš
György Orbán
Levente Gyöngyösi
Four Slovak Folksongs for Mixed Chorus, Sz 70
In Nature's Realm, Op. 63
Fünf Gesänge, Op. 104
Five Hebrew Love Songs
Miserere
Requiem
Ave Maria
Dixit Dominus

After a year, choir master Zoltán Kocsis-Holper of the Kodály Choir Debrecen and artistic director of the Kórus Spontánusz will once again collaborate with the Slovak Philharmonic Choir. The choir's a cappella concert offers a unique insight into the vocal works of mainly Czech and Hungarian composers. The secular works in the first half of the program move from folk-inspired themes to interpretations of poetry. The second half is characterized by sacred works, with the pinnacle being Zdenek Lukáš's Requiem, the most frequently performed Czech composition of the second half of the 20th century. The five-part structure evokes Renaissance polyphony, its harmony and unison sections adhere to aesthetic principles of that period. The piece serves as a sort of personal declaration of faith in the immortality of the spirit and love for life.