Jan Dismas Zelenka: Jesus at Calvary (Gesù al Calvario) | ZWV 62 | 1735

Jan Dismas Zelenka - Jesus at Calvary
Libretto by Michelangelo Boccardi
ACT I
00:00 01. Introduction
03:18 02. Recitative: O daughters of Zion
04:22 03. Choir: Wretched mother
10:15 04. Recitative: With fierce mortal pain
11:56 05. Aria: If faith were alive in you
20:12 06. Recitativе: Mother! Son!
22:13 07. Aria: Ah! If you love so much
32:44 08. Recitativе: So much love, but what is the gain
36:15 09. Aria: Ah why heaven hold back
42:56 10. Recitativе: My Lord
43:47 11. Aria: Yes, death is my punishment
52:02 12. Recitativе: Confusion of deep feelings
52:51 13. Aria: If only one tear of regret
1:03:37 14. Choir: Crucify the Nazarene
ACT II
1:06:35 15. Recitative: Spasms of my heart
1:09:16 16. Aria: If ungrateful and rebellious
1:16:34 17. Recitativе: Stand up for the great victory
1:20:18 18. Duet: Holy love, it hurt you badly
1:28:25 19. Recitativе: Overwhelmed by such love
1:33:16 20. Aria: What a proud martyr
1:46:14 21. Recitativе: At the dark sight
1:48:22 22. Choir: This is the blessed mountain
Jan Dismas Zelenka came in Dresden court orchestra as a double-bass player. Using his travelling stipenditary with other musicians, he was visiting Italy during 1715. The following year, Zelenka, six years older than Bach, at the age of 36, was student of Johan Joseph Fux and oddly enough, at the same time the teacher of Johann Joachim Quantz, in counterpoint in both cases.
In addition to liturgical work, Zelenka created three big Italian oratorios on sacred subjects, two of which were intended for Holy Week: In 1735 "Gesù al Calvario" (THIS VIDEO) and in 1736 "I penitenti al Sepolchro del Redentore". They represent the late works of the composer who died in 1745 (4 years after Vivaldi). Zelenka's work follows the tradition of the "Oratorio volgare" with passiontide text by the young Boccardi. However, it is far removed from the form of the libretti which had flourished at the start of the century: in accordance with the old tradition, Jesus still appears as an active person and like the Virgin Mary is even provided with an aria - an aspect which had long been abandoned by the leading librettists Zeno and Metastasio.
The modern aspect, however, is the limitation to only five interlocutors (active persons), whilst the dominance of the soloists and the carefully dosed interventions by the choir allow the conclusion to be drawn that the piece was to be performed by the Dresden opera soloists and choir members.
The action in this work is concentrated on one single scene: the Holy Mother - Virgin Mary, Mary Magdalene, Mary of Clopas and St John are waiting on the Mount of Calvary for Jesus, after he has been sentenced to death. The events of the crucifixion are not depicted, but are reflected in the words of the active persons and the shouts of the daughters of Zion, the crowd and the host of believers. Boccardi's words mainly express the human relationships of the Passion: the riveting complaints of a mother who has to watch her child being tortured to death, the touching helplessness of the on-lockers searching for some meaning in an event that is beyond human understanding. Libretto is essentially meditative in character and provides moments of penetrating density and although the dramatic element is only used sparingly, it has a shattering effect in some of the outbursts of feeling such as crucifixion chorale, "Crucify the Nazarene", or the depiction of the natural events surrounding Christ's death in the accompanied recitative by St John, "At the dark sight".
Zelenka's oratorio orchestra is made up of strings and woodwind. Amongst the strings, the designation alternates between viola and violetta, which leaves the question open as to whether the same instrument is meant in both cases. The wind instruments are doubled and arranged as "soli" and "tutti" for recorders, oboes, bassoons, and chalumeaux. The colourful palette of sounds with the spectrum that stretches from pianissimo to forte fortissimo, with all the intermediate values noted in all possible nuances and with a surprising degree of precision, long stretches alternating from one bar to the next, other stretches with different notations in the various parts. The arias are constructed on the "da capo" principle, with the relatively short central section contrasting sharply in tempo at various points.
If one compares Zelenka's "Jesus at Calvary" with other church compositions of this outstanding Bohemian composer, it will become clear that although the work, displays the typical "Zelenkisms" - frequent alternation between immediately adjoining major and minor in the same chord, chromatics and contrasts such as orchestral unison - these characteristics are all the same carefully balanced and integrated into translucent bar structure of heavy Italian influence (think of Durante and Lotti).
Reference:
Hans-Josef Irmen (1938 - 2007), music teacher, musicologist and conductor.
Serbian: • Јан Дисмас Зеленка: Ис...

[@tsanchezts]

Jan Dismas Zelenka, einer meiner Lieblingskomponisten. Diese Freude ist eine weitere seiner wunderbaren musikalischen Kompositionen. Vielen Dank.

[@ximeaque]

En estos tiempos complejos , esta musica es muy bienvenida, gracias desde Chile

[@dieterpeszat2105]

Thank you for this oratorio by Zelenka. Well designed with the flowing rubrics and insert text as well as the introductory information.

[@Ethan_Kim62]

Thanks for this oratorio. Especially script and translation provided. 🍀

[@Godzilla-xt4nd]

Could I ask where you found translation of the libretto?