Ondrej Macek for Note Senza tempo Festival
From 16 July 2024 to 15 August 2024/ Italy / Sassari
MASTERCLASS ON BAROQUE VOCALITIES FOR CHOIRS
Ondřej Macek
specialized in Baroque music and especially in the Italian operatic repertoire of the 17th and 18th centuries. Since 1996 he has lived and worked at the Český Krumlov Castle, where he is engaged in research and interpretation of Baroque opera.
He studied counterpoint and composition with Prof. František Kovaříček; later harpsichord and basso continuo with the Israeli harpsichordist Shalev Ad-El.
He deepened his knowledge of basso continuo in various master classes, for example in France (Printemps des Arts in Nantes, Rencontre Musical at the Villarceux Castle near Paris) and in Germany (Internationale Händel-Akademie in Karlsruhe).
At the same time, he studied musicology at Charles University and Masaryk University in Brno.
In 1991, he founded the baroque ensemble Cappella Accademica (renamed Hof-Musici in 2005), of which he is the artistic director. Today, Hof-Musici is an ensemble, consisting of singers and instrumentalists from various countries, specializing in staging operas according to the practice of the baroque period. With this ensemble he performs in the Czech Republic and abroad: Prague Spring, Nantes Spring of Arts (France), Feste Musicali per San Rocco in Venice, Internationale Händel-Festspiele in Göttingen (Germany), Baroque à Saint-Roch in Liège (Belgium), Galuppi Festival in Venice, Le Serate Barocche in Varždin (Croatia), Haydn-Tage at Rohrau Castle (Austria), Sonntagskonzerte im Liechtenstein Palais in Vienna, Haydn Festival at Eszterhaza Castle (Hungary), Il Suono & Il Sacro festival in Caserta, Handel Festival Japan in Tokyo, Budapest Spring. Since 2008 he has been the artistic director of the Festival of Baroque Art in Český Krumlov. Since 2015 he has been a member of the committee of the Mozart Society of the Czech Republic.
Scarlatti project was born from a fortunate meeting of the ensemble Dolci Accenti with Hof-Musici directed by Ondrej Macek, an extraordinary initiative that brings together the two ensembles in the project of rediscovering the music of Alessandro Scarlatti. Next year we will celebrate the 300th anniversary of the death of Alessandro Scarlatti, one of the most illustrious composers in the history of Italian music, and since last year our ensembles have been performing his unpublished music resulting from musicological research.
Through our relentless commitment and our passion for musical discovery, encouraged by Maestro Macek, we have created an exciting journey into the world of baroque music. Over the past year, we have dedicated ourselves to the rare and wonderful "Messa in Canone a 5 Parti" by A. Scarlatti, bringing it for the first time to the modern stage in Sassari. This performance, a world premiere, paid homage to the Sicilian genius and opened the doors to new research.
This year, our energies have been focused on creating a "Vespro della Beata Vergine" composed entirely of works by Alessandro Scarlatti. It has been a fascinating journey, full of meticulous research and surprising discoveries. From libraries in Italy and Germany, we have extracted precious manuscripts, including psalms and hymns, some of which had been hidden for centuries. Some of them need to be reconstructed because some parts are missing. For example, the hymn Ave maris stella kept in the library of St. John Lateran is missing the tenor and alto parts on some pages. In the Archives of the Basilica of St. Mary Major, Maestro Macek also discovered the antiphon to the Magnificat, and all this makes the research exciting because these texts were rarely set to music. Through the passionate work of Maestro Macek and our ensemble, we are bringing these forgotten works to life, bringing them to light and giving them back their rightful place on the contemporary music scene.
Our intent is twofold: on the one hand, we are dedicated to musicological research, in libraries, and on the other, we are committed to the accurate transcription and passionate performance of these works, allowing the public to enjoy the music by hearing it for the first time in modern times. It is an experience that goes beyond simple music; it is a journey through time, a celebration of Scarlatti's musical heritage and a tribute to his timeless genius.
Ondřej Macek
specialized in Baroque music and especially in the Italian operatic repertoire of the 17th and 18th centuries. Since 1996 he has lived and worked at the Český Krumlov Castle, where he is engaged in research and interpretation of Baroque opera.
He studied counterpoint and composition with Prof. František Kovaříček; later harpsichord and basso continuo with the Israeli harpsichordist Shalev Ad-El.
He deepened his knowledge of basso continuo in various master classes, for example in France (Printemps des Arts in Nantes, Rencontre Musical at the Villarceux Castle near Paris) and in Germany (Internationale Händel-Akademie in Karlsruhe).
At the same time, he studied musicology at Charles University and Masaryk University in Brno.
In 1991, he founded the baroque ensemble Cappella Accademica (renamed Hof-Musici in 2005), of which he is the artistic director. Today, Hof-Musici is an ensemble, consisting of singers and instrumentalists from various countries, specializing in staging operas according to the practice of the baroque period. With this ensemble he performs in the Czech Republic and abroad: Prague Spring, Nantes Spring of Arts (France), Feste Musicali per San Rocco in Venice, Internationale Händel-Festspiele in Göttingen (Germany), Baroque à Saint-Roch in Liège (Belgium), Galuppi Festival in Venice, Le Serate Barocche in Varždin (Croatia), Haydn-Tage at Rohrau Castle (Austria), Sonntagskonzerte im Liechtenstein Palais in Vienna, Haydn Festival at Eszterhaza Castle (Hungary), Il Suono & Il Sacro festival in Caserta, Handel Festival Japan in Tokyo, Budapest Spring. Since 2008 he has been the artistic director of the Festival of Baroque Art in Český Krumlov. Since 2015 he has been a member of the committee of the Mozart Society of the Czech Republic.
Scarlatti project was born from a fortunate meeting of the ensemble Dolci Accenti with Hof-Musici directed by Ondrej Macek, an extraordinary initiative that brings together the two ensembles in the project of rediscovering the music of Alessandro Scarlatti. Next year we will celebrate the 300th anniversary of the death of Alessandro Scarlatti, one of the most illustrious composers in the history of Italian music, and since last year our ensembles have been performing his unpublished music resulting from musicological research.
Through our relentless commitment and our passion for musical discovery, encouraged by Maestro Macek, we have created an exciting journey into the world of baroque music. Over the past year, we have dedicated ourselves to the rare and wonderful "Messa in Canone a 5 Parti" by A. Scarlatti, bringing it for the first time to the modern stage in Sassari. This performance, a world premiere, paid homage to the Sicilian genius and opened the doors to new research.
This year, our energies have been focused on creating a "Vespro della Beata Vergine" composed entirely of works by Alessandro Scarlatti. It has been a fascinating journey, full of meticulous research and surprising discoveries. From libraries in Italy and Germany, we have extracted precious manuscripts, including psalms and hymns, some of which had been hidden for centuries. Some of them need to be reconstructed because some parts are missing. For example, the hymn Ave maris stella kept in the library of St. John Lateran is missing the tenor and alto parts on some pages. In the Archives of the Basilica of St. Mary Major, Maestro Macek also discovered the antiphon to the Magnificat, and all this makes the research exciting because these texts were rarely set to music. Through the passionate work of Maestro Macek and our ensemble, we are bringing these forgotten works to life, bringing them to light and giving them back their rightful place on the contemporary music scene.
Our intent is twofold: on the one hand, we are dedicated to musicological research, in libraries, and on the other, we are committed to the accurate transcription and passionate performance of these works, allowing the public to enjoy the music by hearing it for the first time in modern times. It is an experience that goes beyond simple music; it is a journey through time, a celebration of Scarlatti's musical heritage and a tribute to his timeless genius.
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