Vladimir Godár - Mater

Vladimir Godar, born in Bratislava in 1956, writes beautiful music. He is best known for his film scores in his own country, but these seven pieces, collectively called Mater, scored for female voice, chorus and Baroque string orchestra, should gain him fame on the same scale as a "classical" composer. There are hints of Arvo Pärt's devotional minimalism here, with Gorecki and Monteverdi not far behind, but the decidedly Slavic tinge to the music makes it unique. Working with the archtypes of "mother" and "woman," sometimes specifically the Virgin Mary, more often not, these are reflections on life, death and resurrection, sometimes in the textual forms of the well-known "Magnificat," "Stabat Mater" and "Regina coeli," but adding to them a Yiddish song, a poem by James Joyce, and a pair of Slovak lullabies. There are repeated melodies and instrumental motifs, and the music has great character; it is immensely moving. The Czech singer Iva Bittova is neither an opera nor pop singer; her singing is "cultivated folk." Her voice has intense colors: it can be warm as well as edgy, it throbs but can be occasionally as cool and vibrato-free as a Celtic storyteller. One can report on what goes on musically here–the way the strings stab dissonantly at times, the way long melodies keep showing up, the way the chorus interjects and takes over in one selection–but the emotional impact is more important and can't be described. Suffice it to say that Godar never lapses into sentimentality or bathos, but he does touch the soul. A ravishing, important CD. –Robert Levine

Vladimir Godar's Mater is a moving cantata comprised of seven compositions for female voice, mixed choir and Baroque string orchestra playing on historic instruments. The work is a meditation on the circle of human life united under the archetypes of "woman" and "mother": protecting, consoling, mourning, but also as objects of praise and adoration. The texts come from Slovak lullabies, sacred Christian texts, Yiddish songs and a poem by James Joyce. The music is highly atmospheric and melodic, and fans of Arvo Part, Henryk Gorecki, John Tavener and early music will be drawn to this music.

The unifying element of Mater is one of the most remarkable figures in contemporary vocal art: Iva Bittova. Often compared to Laurie Anderson or Meredith Monk, Bittova's voice is mostly warm and tender but also displays a wide array of expressive shades. The Philadelphia Inquirer writes that Bittova "seems to operate from some musical ground zero - one that also puts you in touch with the most elemental purpose of music, and why you first came to love it."


Composer Vladimir Godár (circa 1955 - )
Performer Iva Bittova (Mezzo Soprano) Milos Valent (Violin) Juraj Kovac (Cello)
Genre 20th Century Period / Song
Date Written 2005

1. Maykomashmalon 3:44
2. Magnificat 9:35
3. Uspávanky (Lullabies) 8:09
4. Ecce puer 6:12
5. Stálá Matka (Stabat Mater) 19:24
6. Regina coeli 5:02
7. Maykomashmalon 3:36