Journey to Jerusalem / Saša Rašilov

BAROQUE MUSIC

A Musical Journey in the Footsteps of a Czech Renaissance Humanist

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Actor Saša Rašilov will take on the role of narrator – and he won’t just read passively. He will draw the audience into the story, letting them feel the heat of the desert and the silence of sacred places. Journey to Jerusalem is a vivid concert story about the search for meaning, a journey that begins with music and ends deep within our hearts. The extraordinary life journey of the Czech humanist Kryštof Harant from Polžice and Bezdružice was cut short on June 21, 1621, on Prague’s Old Town Square. The execution of the Czech noblemen became a catalyst for sweeping social changes across Europe and ignited the powder keg of the Thirty Years’ War. Due to the upheavals of history, Harant’s musical legacy has unfortunately come down to us incomplete. The aim of the new Cappella Mariana project is to present all of his surviving compositions — including the fragmentary ones in authentic arrangements — and to bring listeners closer to his literary legacy, notably his remarkable travel account of a pilgrimage to the Holy Land and back, an exceptional achievement for his time.

more about the event

22. 7. 2026

20:00

informal

St. Nicolas Church, Znojmo

2 hours

Event description

Harant’s vivid travelogue, narrated through selected excerpts, will serve as our guide on a musical journey to the exotic lands of Cyprus, Jerusalem, Sinai, and Cairo, where, alongside Harant’s own compositions, we will also hear music from these distant regions. For this original project, the ensemble is joined by the phenomenal setar player and artistic director of the ensemble Constantinople, Kiya Tabassian, whose Persian roots make him an ideal collaborator in the search for a shared musical language. The two ensembles will thus not remain on opposite sides of the Bosporus, but will unite their artistry in a joint performance that interweaves both cultures. In addition, listeners will enjoy a visual dimension: through artistic video projections, they will see original engravings from Harant’s travelogue, enriching this multidisciplinary program dedicated to one of the great figures of the Czech Renaissance. “The Journey” acts as a beacon, guiding both ensembles through a geographical, historical, cultural, and inner voyage — an exploration of distant horizons.

Performers:

CAPPELLA MARIANA
Vojtěch Semerád – Artistic Director, Project Concept
Hana Blažíková, Barbora Kabátková – Sopranos
Vojtěch Semerád, Tomáš Lajtkep, Ondřej Holub – Tenors
Jaromír Nosek – Bass

CONSTANTINOPLE (CA)
Kiya Tabassian – Artistic Director
Didem Başar – Kanun
Patrick Graham – Percussion
Neva Ozgün – Kemençe
Kiya Tabassian – Setar, Vocals

Saša Rašilov – Narration

Performers

Vojtěch
Semerád

Vojtěch Semerád

Český tenor

Je absolventem Pražské konzervatoře, Pedagogické fakulty Univerzity Karlovy v Praze (dirigování sborového zpěvu) a Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique v Paříži (barokní housle u Françoise Fernandeze). Je finalistou mezinárodní soutěže Telemann-Wettbewerb v Magdeburku. Od roku 2010 se věnuje pěvecké výuce v rámci soukromých lekcí.

Cappella
Mariana

Cappella Mariana

Vokální soubor

je špičkový soubor, který se specializuje na interpretaci středověkého vícehlasu, renesanční polyfonie a vokálních děl raného baroka. Cappella Mariana vznikla v roce 2008 a jako jeden z mála domácích vokálních souborů se zaměřuje na uvádění pozapomenutých děl vokální polyfonie zejména z domácích archivů, ale i italské, vlámské či anglické renesance. Členy souboru jsou mezinárodně renomovaní pěvci, kteří se dále věnují interpretaci barokní a předromantické hudby.

CONSTANTINOPLE

musical ensemble

Constantinople is a musical ensemble that chose the journey - geographical certainly, but also historical, cultural and inner - as its cornerstone. It draws inspiration from all sources and aims for distant horizons. Inspired by the ancient city illuminating the East and West, Constantinople was founded in 2001 in Montreal by its artistic director, Kiya Tabassian.

Saša
Rašilov

Saša Rašilov

Český herec

Pochází z umělecké rodiny, jeho mladší bratr Václav Rašilov je také herec. Jejich otcem byl kameraman Saša Rašilov a dědou herec Saša Rašilov starší (vl. jm. Wenzel Rasch). Studoval na hudebně-dramatickém oddělení Pražské konzervatoře, jeho spolužáky byli například Markéta Hrubešová, Antonín Kala, a jiní. Následně studoval v letech 1990–1994 na DAMU.

Program

Agha Mo’men (c.1525-1600) – Tasbih-i Misri, MSS s.317
Kryštof Harant (1564-1621) – Missa quinis vocibus Credo
Anonymous (16th Cent.) – Naqsh Dar Bazm-e Del, poem by Hafez (1315-1390), MSS s.314
Kryštof Harant – Missa quinis vocibus Kyrie
Kiya Tabassian (1976) – Namaz-e Sham-e Ghariban, poem by Hafez
Kryštof Harant – Missa quinis vocibus Gloria
Shishtari Murad (?-1688 ) – Chashm-e Mast, Huseyni Agir Semai
Kryštof Harant – Missa quinis vocibus Sanctus
Kâsebâz-i Misri (16th Cent.) – Pishref-i Misri & Sama‘i, MSS s.318-319
Seyyid Seyfullah (16th Cent.) – Bu Ashk Bir Bahri Ummandir, Nihavend ilahi, MSS s.318
Kryštof Harant – Maria Kron
Kryštof Harant – Missa quinis vocibus Agnus Dei
Paschal de l’Estocart (c.1538-after1587) / Ali Ufki (1610-1675) – Psalm 4 / Mezmur 2 & 4
Kiya Tabassian – Parvaz
Kryštof Harant (arr. Jaroslav Pelikán) / Gazi Giray Han (1554-1607) – Dies est laetitiae / Mahour
Pishrow, Cantemir Collection
Anonymous (16th Cent.) – Otce Buoha nebeského