Czech Philharmonic • Nicholas Kraemer
The Latin word Passio means suffering, but listeners at the Czech Philharmonic Easter concert can expect the exact opposite. Performing the St John Passion by Johann Sebastian Bach will be two of the most qualified experts on the interpretation of early music: choirmaster Tereza Válková and conductor Nicholas Kraemer.
Programme
Johann Sebastian Bach
St John Passion, oratorio, BWV 245
Performers
Andrew Staples Evangelist, tenor, stage direction
Sherezade Panthaki soprano
Helen Charlston mezzo-soprano
Matthias Helm Jesus, baritone
Florian Störtz Pilate, bass-baritone
SILENTIUM! Ensemble
Tereza Válková choirmaster
Nicholas Kraemer conductor
Czech Philharmonic
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Tereza Válková, the artistic director of the ensemble SILENTIUM, lives with dogs named Brixi and Monteverdi along with a clan of adopted cats. She describes Baroque music as operating within strict constraints, from which the great masters were able to carve out remarkable forms.
According to Ms Válková “Musicians like Bach and Mozart elevated the rules far beyond the mere underlying principles, and moved within what might seem to us like fixed, immutable dogma with an almost unbelievable ease.” What fascinates her the most about Baroque music is precisely the fixed order that composers move beyond. The additional characteristic that attracts her to vocal music is “the composers’ devotion to the musical setting of the text—the multilayered richness of often metaphorical messages bearing witness to profound understanding and erudition.” As the choirmaster of Czech Ensemble Baroque, she was already successfully championing the informed interpretation of the masterworks of early music.
In 1722, Johann Sebastian Bach failed on his first attempt to become the new organist at the St Thomas Church in Leipzig. Georg Philipp Telemann was the winner of the selection process for the vacant position, but when he ultimately turned the job down, Bach did not succeed on his second attempt, either. Finally, when the new candidate Christoph Grauphner was unable to accept the position, the choice fell to Bach. In May 1723, he took over the duties, then on Good Friday of 1724 his St John Passion was premiered at the St Michael Church in Leipzig. As it turned out, the composer spent 27 fruitful years in Saxony’s most populous city.
This is not the first encounter between the public at Prague’s Rudolfinum and Nicholas Kraemer, the Bach specialist and principal guest conductor of the Chicago-based orchestra Music of the Baroque. At that venue in January 2024 he led the Czech Philharmonic in Handel’s oratorio Messiah, which critics called one of the season’s highlights.
Performers
Andrew Staples tenor
Andrew Staples is considered one of the most versatile tenors of his generation, appearing regularly with Sir Simon Rattle, Daniel Harding, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, with the Berlin Philharmonic, Vienna Philharmonic, Swedish Radio Orchestra, Orchestre de Paris, London Symphony Orchestra.
He made his debut at the Royal Opera House with Fidelio (Jacquino), returning with Katya Kabanova (Tichon) and Salome (Narraboth). His recent and future performances include, Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde (Chamber Orchestra of Europe), Britten: Peter Grimes (Teatro La Fenice), Turn of the Screw (Budapest Festival Orchestra), Elgar: The Dream of Gerontius (Royal Scottish National Orchestra), Haydn: The Creation (Scottish Chamber Orchestra), Berlioz: Roméo et Juliette (Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France), Handel: Jephtha (Komische Oper Berlin), Mozart: Idomeneo (Deutsche Staatsoper Berlin).
His creative output includes concert and opera singing, directing opera, filmmaking and photography.
Sherezade Panthaki soprano
Helen Charlston alto
The young mezzo-soprano Helen Charlston appears frequently on the world’s most important stages including London’s Wigmore Hall and the Concertgebouw in Amsterdamm interpreting the works of G. F. Handel. Her fame was secured by victory at the Handel Singing Competition in London in 2018, and her career has been advancing promisingly with performances of Israel in Egypt with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Theodora with the Philharmonia Baroque in San Francisco, and Judas Maccabaeus at Berlin’s Philharmonie with the RIAS Kammerchor.
Helen Charlston has participated in the Rising Star programme of the famed Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and in the academy Le Jardin des Voix organised by Les Arts Florissants, and she is now a BBC New Generation Artist. She specialises mainly in early music ranging from Monteverdi to Mozart (although she was brilliant in Mendelssohn’s oratorio Elijah alongside Carolyn Sampson and Andrew Staples in the summer at the BBC Proms), as can be seen from, among other things, her CD with arias of the 17th century, which earned her a 2023 Gramophone Award.
Matthias Helm baritone
Florian Störtz bass baritone
SILENTIUM! Ensemble
Tereza Válková choirmaster
Nicholas Kraemer conductor
Nicholas Kraemer, a pioneer of historically informed interpretation and now chief guest conductor of the Chicago-based orchestra Music of the Baroque, has earned an international reputation for leading ensembles specializing in early music. He began his career as a harpsichordist, but soon moved to the front of the orchestra, conducting directly from this instrument. He has held positions as artistic director of the Irish Chamber Orchestra and the London Bach Orchestra, was the first music director of the British company English Touring Opera and founded the ensemble The Raglan Baroque Players.
However, he also guest conducts modern orchestras (especially in the US and the UK, but also, for example, the Berlin Philharmonic), which he guides toward informed interpretation. Although Baroque is his main specialization, his repertoire ranges from Monteverdi to the present day. In Paris, Lisbon, Amsterdam, Geneva, Bergen, and Marseille, he has conducted numerous operas by R. Strauss, B. Britten, W. A. Mozart, and others.
The music of G. F. Handel plays an important role in his conducting and performing activities. In the spring of 2025, on the occasion of his 80th birthday, he performed Handel’s oratorio Theodora with the Music of the Baroque orchestra and choir. He also has a close relationship with Handel’s oratorio Messiah, which he first heard at the age of nine at an orchestra rehearsal in Edinburgh, where his mother played. He was very impressed by the work and has performed it more than a hundred times during his conducting career. In 2022, he also successfully recorded it and released it on CD. He also performed this work during his debut with the Czech Philharmonic, together with the Prague Philharmonic Choir and leading British soloists in 2024 – the performance was praised by critics and hailed as one of the highlights of the season. He returned to Czechia a year later to conduct Bach’s Mass in B minor.
Kraemer’s discography is also extensive – examples include Vivaldi’s concertos with the City of London Sinfonia chamber orchestra, P. Locatelli’s Concerti grossi, G. Tartini’s Violin concertos, and concertos by F. Durante, G. B. Pergolesi, and L. Leo with violinist Elizabeth Wallfisch and the Raglan Baroque Players.
A three-part series is available on YouTube, in which Nicholas Kraemer talks to Sir Simon Rattle as part of the accompanying program to the concerts of the Music of the Baroque orchestra. This informal and friendly discussion between the two conductors offers listeners an interesting insight into their memories and personal experiences, not only with Baroque music. Nicholas Kraemer has also been involved in several feature films, most notably as Baroque music director for the film The Madness of King George.