Czech year in the village: Winter - Jiří Sternwald
The cantata Czech year in the village for recitation, solo, children's choir and orchestra is one of the most successful of Sternwald's concert works and one that found the greatest success with the audience.
His genesis can be followed over a relatively long period of time - up to the range of "Children's year in the village" for Burian's "D" theatre from the beginning of the forties, when he without a doubt became thoroughly familiarised with a collection of Czech folk songs and rhymes, above all with the collection of Erben's work. He also draws from this in his cantata featured today, which was created in 1975 - 76. The work is broken up into four separate parts according to the four seasons and within these, further broken up into smaller thematic spheres, interconnected with an explanatory commentary. The composer managed to delve into the world of folk poetry with a remarkable certainty as well as into the world of the children's spirit. This is certainly a very valuable currency when pondering the "competitor's works" in the format of Martinů's Špalíček or Kytice, which deservedly ranks Sternwald's work among the most impressive artistic elaboration of this subject matter.
Other compositions by Jiří Sternwald published in Czech Radio:
Czech year in the village: Spring
Czech year in the village: Summer
Czech year in the village: Autumn
instrumentation2fl - I muta fl picc, 2ob, 2cl, 2fg, 2cor, 2trb, tbn, batt, arp, pfte, coro bambino, rec, archidescriptionscorepubl.NoR 133price395,- CZK
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