Godár: Mater

Slovak composer Vladimír Godár’s Mater is an hour-long cantata comprised of six pieces guiding us through distant yet related places, times, and emotions. Played on period instruments and at period pitch, the music brings together strings, choir, violin/viola soloist Miloš Valent, and vocalist Iva Bittová, who switches between Yiddish, Slovak, Latin, and English. Godár’s experience as a film composer and interest in early music are evident throughout, resulting in a mood of emotional transference that is sure to please admirers of Pärt, Silvestrov, and Knaifel while taking their ears in new directions.