The Czech Lieder Society recently released “Songs,” an intriguing double CD of songs and piano pieces by Sláva Vorlová. It is unlikely that many reading this article will have heard her name or any of her works, yet during her lifetime (1894 – 1973) she was well-known and an influential composer.

From an early age, Vorlová pursued an interest in music, studying piano, voice and composition, yet it was only following the death of her first husband, who was shot dead by the SS during the liberation of Prague in 1945, that she turned her attention to composition. She was well into her fifties at the time.

It was a late start, but she quickly found success in a variety of genres, including symphonic and chamber music, vocal and instrumental, concertante, stage and pedagogical pieces. She went on to write over a hundred compositions, many of which were taken up by the leading Czech ensembles and performers of the day. In the 1950s and 60s, she was one of only two female members of the Union of Czechoslovak Composers, and in 1958 she received an award for her outstanding achievements from the president of Czechoslovakia.

The works selected for the recording cover the period following her husband’s death to her own death in 1973. They include a series of song cycles and piano pieces that reveal her skill in composing in a wide variety of styles, ranging from dance and serialism to pieces based on 15th century Hussite religious chant. The pieces display Verlová’s skill in capturing emotional depth; in the song cycle, “Stesk,” for example, composed in 1946, to poems by Olga Scheinpflugová that reflect on the death of her own husband, Verlová’s music successfully brings out their deep sadness and grief. Yet, she is equally at home playing with humorous ideas as in “Dej krávē kakao.”  The sum of the pieces on the two CDs illustrates her ability to present a wide range of emotions and ideas, which are united by the expressive quality with which she is able to infuse her compositions and her intuitive skill in communicating with the listener.

OperaWire was fortunate in being able to find out more when we talked with the six artists responsible for making the recording: contralto Monika Jägerová, soprano Tamara Morozová, tenor Daniel Matoušek, baritone Roman Hoza, and the pianists Vojtěch  Červenka and Katelyn Bouska.

OperaWire: How well known is Sláva Vorlová in Czechia?

Monika Jägerová: Although she was one of the most influential composers of the 20th century, with her works performed in Czechoslovakia and around the world, today Sláva Vorlová has almost been totally forgotten. However, last year, as part of “The Year of Czech Music,” we were able to bring her works to a wider audience. Along with the CD release, we organized a concert to celebrate the 130th anniversary of her birth in Prague and performed her songs in New York.

OW: Had you heard any of her music before you made the recording?

Katelyn Bouska: In November of 2022, I attended a short presentation of Sláva Vorlová’s songs by Monika. She very generously shared with me information about her work, and I became intrigued by Vorlová’s life and by her compositional style, and so shortly after, I visited the archives at the Czech Museum of Music in Prague for a closer look at Vorlová’s works for solo piano. In particular, I was looking for her “Parafráze husitských zpěvů” as they offered a missing link for an upcoming project of mine. Imagine my delight when I also discovered a work for solo piano, “Síla Světla,” which had not been included on published lists of her solo works.

In preparation for my interpretation of Vorlová’s piano works, I recorded her works for bass clarinet. This gave me a sense of her rich lyrical style in setting text and her innovations in writing for bass clarinet.

MJ: There are only a few recordings of her works, such as “Miniatures for bass clarinet and piano,” and there were no recordings of her songs. I spent five years studying and performing the songs and was convinced that this music could stand comparison and deserved rediscovery!

Vojtech Červenka: Yes, of course. We’ve been presenting some of her cycles at concerts for a long time, and recently we’ve also included her works for bass clarinet.

Daniel Matousék: Unfortunately, I had never heard any of her songs, and I wasn’t familiar with her at all. I came across her for the first time during the staging of “The Ring of the Třeboň Madonna.”

Roman Hoza: Unfortunately not. The first time I became aware of the name Sláva Vorlová was in preparing for this recording and the concert.

OW: To what extent would you say that the discs are representative of her music as a whole?

MJ: Sláva Vorlová’s musical language evolved from neo-romanticism, jazz and folk influences, and even serialism. All of these influences can be heard on the album, which spans the period from her early works to the end of her life. However, it doesn’t reveal everything, for example, how she worked with orchestral colors.

OW: As Czech singers, do you recognize Czech musical influences in her compositions?

Tamara Morogová: The work of Vorlová reflects the natural rhythm of Czech speech and, in many ways, can resemble the vocal compositions of Leoš Janáček. However, at the same time, her musical language is highly original and inspiring.

RH: You can definitely notice the strong Janáček influence. However, the piece I recorded, “Neučesané myšlenky, ” is for me absolutely unique in its form, containing small fragments of text and music that are seemingly unrelated, as its name suggests.

DM: Yes, I do, especially Janáček, and some of her harmonies recall the work of Martinů.

VČ: Yes, the influence is clear, but it does not detract from her compositional originality.

KB: The first of her works I heard was her setting of Czech poetry, and the first composition I played was a setting of 15th century Czech Hussite chants. These chants are taken from a unique moment in Czech history and one that held a profound spiritual and psychological impact on the national consciousness for centuries afterwards. On first impression, I could not mistake the influence of the Czech language and history on her writing. Another aspect of Vorlová’s works which I find particularly engaging, is her wide range of styles. In addition to the overtly Czech aspects, she also explored modern styles that existed beyond our national borders. This would include twelve-tone techniques in her “Variace rozcestí,” and her collaboration with modern dance in “Taneční fantasie.” I believe it is a sign of her consummate compositional skill that she is fluent in Czech idioms but also possesses an enduring cosmopolitan style that transcends cultural borders.

OW: How important is the articulation and intonation in presenting these pieces? Would it be possible to sing them in another language and retain the same quality of expression?

MJ: The melodies and expression are deeply connected to the Czech language, with the text being absolutely essential to the music. The texts are set to the words of prominent Czech poets, such as Miroslav Holub and Jaroslav Seifert. Sláva Vorlová adds entirely new, often striking or humorous, musical contexts to their poems. As with Janáček, it’s hard for me to imagine these works being translated into another language.

TM: Given the great communicative quality of the texts Vorlová chooses to set to music, I believe it would be possible to set them in other languages. Of course, the delicate work of the translator is always crucial when adapting them into another language.

DM: The articulation of words is crucial in “Prsten Třeboňske Madonna.” Seifert’s text contains everything that inspired the music, so it must go hand in hand with intonation and precision if you want to maintain the natural fluency and smoothness of expression. One should avoid turning the songs into something mechanical, as they would risk losing their charm.

RH: I believe the piece could definitely work in another language because, no matter how ‘uncombed’ the thoughts are, they seem to emphasize universal emotions like irony or sarcasm, with the central theme of freedom in all its meanings.

VČ: In my opinion, interpretation is only possible in the original language. The lyrics can certainly be translated, but the music is specifically tailored to fit Czech words. The intonation and rhythm of the words play a significant role, and therefore, for a performance to work in another language, it requires a strong translation that aligns with the phrasing and may require some rewording.

OW: Where would you place her compositional style in relation to other Czech composers of the period?

KB: To compare compositional styles in the mid-20th century requires a nuanced answer, given that the period was characterized by stylistic fragmentation, experimentation and a plurality of idioms. Vorlová, in particular, defies comparison by a life of continued experimentation. If we take her works for solo piano within her greater oeuvre, we encounter a diatonic setting of 15th century national songs, 12-tone variations, a neo-romantic character piece, and a modern dance piece.

Another interesting element for western readers to consider is that she was writing at a time when artistic and musical language was under the mandates of social realism by the then Czechoslovak Socialist Republic. Despite those pressures, I find her music creative, free, vibrant, and explorative.

OW: How easy or difficult was it to sing the pieces from a technical, emotional and dramatic perspective? What were the biggest challenges you found in singing the pieces?

MJ: It’s hard not to be moved by the simple yet profound depth of the music Vorlová uses to set Scheinpflugová’s poetry about the death of her husband. While not the most technically demanding, emotionally and dramatically, this is a very mature cycle. I had to find a delicate balance between the profound artistic experience and an emotional distance to be able to sing it.

TM: At first glance, it may be difficult to fully grasp Vorlová’s music, but the more I have the opportunity to explore her work, the more I realize how her music is both instructive and surprisingly intuitive for the performer. None of the pieces I sing require an extreme vocal range. On the contrary, they encourage a gentle and tender portrayal of emotions that don’t need to be exaggerated with overly dramatic shifts. For this reason, it’s technically very pleasant to sing, and I have focused especially on achieving a certain smoothness, perhaps even a caressing quality.

DM: Technically, it’s a very demanding piece, especially due to its large scale and wide intonational leaps, with a more narrative structure than a cantilena. From an emotional and dramatic perspective, it was enough to let the text guide us and create a sound image to match it. The biggest challenge was getting the intonation right, which was often very illogical and counterintuitive, with some phrases almost impossible to sing.

RH: Intonation in music like Vorlová’s is always a challenge. We tried to find a balance between hitting the right pitches and conveying the emotion we were aiming for. The vocal range is quite demanding, but the piece isn’t extremely difficult in terms of overall vocal technique; there aren’t any long, wide legato passages.

VČ: From the pianist’s perspective, the technical difficulty varies greatly throughout the piece. I consider the conclusion of the “Neučesané myšlenky” to be the more technically challenging part. As far as the emotional and dramatic perspective is concerned, the pieces are almost instructional, with the music being perfectly suited to the meaning of the text. I think the biggest problem would be if we didn’t try to understand the work and set creativity aside. Each cycle is unique, and the sharing of emotions, including love, sadness, and humor, is evident.

KB: I can speak from a pianist’s perspective. Vorlová was a well-trained pianist and her skill is apparent, not only technically but also in her imaginative approach to keyboard writing. Each piece has its own distinctive sound scape crafted meticulously from a set of keyboard vocabulary unique to that specific work. I found each of them to be idiomatic and well-written. As with any new composer, there was the introductory period in finding their syntax and shaping of phrases. The real difficulty was that her music exists almost exclusively in manuscript form, and certain passages were difficult to read. Despite this, they are by no means unfinished or compositional drafts. Each is painstakingly notated,  replete with all the requisite musical markings. Bringing them to life was a matter of trusting in the composer’s markings, a gift to any performer. Working with the manuscripts slows the learning process. There were occasional passages where changes had been marked in pencil, for example, which made the specific notes or accidentals difficult to read. This meant that I had to invest additional time in comparing similar and clearer passages and to familiarize myself with her work to ascertain her intentions.

OW: What is your favorite piece on the CD?

MJ: For me, it is the song “Jaro,” from the cycle “Stesk.” It contains a beautiful, tormenting metaphor about a blooming garden abandoned by its creator and contains a vast range of emotions and dynamics within a small period of time, which requires a wide vocal range and possesses incredibly beautiful harmonic progressions.

TM: The last song from the cycle, “O lásce Modlitba,” is a powerful declaration of love and gratitude in having discovered a new meaning and direction in life.

DM: I love the entire cycle “Prsten.” It has an incredible range of colors and a strong pull at its core.

RH: I really enjoyed singing the bit about milking the cow: “Give the cow cocoa; you won’t milk chocolate.”

VČ: My favorite piece is VI. from “Prsten.” The music depicts war with the sound of gas and a jet aircraft in the bass.

KB: The inevitable question yet impossible to answer! They are all distinct in themselves, but I can say that the best audience response has been for “Síla světla.” I have received multiple emails from audience members or listeners of my YouTube channel asking for the score so they can play it themselves. It gives me great pleasure to know that the work is moving forward and Sláva Vorlová is stepping out of the shadows.

OW: On the first disc, Vorlová’s songs draw upon her personal experience. In “Stesk,” she reflects on the death of her husband. In “O lásce,” she reflects on a love affair. Was it easy to capture the very personal aspects in your performance?

MJ: Interpreting “Stesk” is very personal for me. The story of a woman who lost her husband during the war is, unfortunately, a deeply universal one. I’ve performed the cycle on several occasions, for example, in a benefit concert for the Red Cross in Ukraine and after the mass shooting at Charles University in 2023. Each performance was hard, but the audiences were profoundly moved, and the music offered them a sense of relief.

OW: The second disc has a different subject matter. “Neučesané myšlenky” consists of a series of aphorisms. Usually, aphorisms can appear banal and superficial. Is this the case here?

RH: I love reflecting on the banalities and obviousness of statements that carry a deep meaning. So to answer your question: yes, the aphorisms by Lec that Vorlová uses can sometimes seem very simple, but I wouldn’t say they’re shallow at all. She calls us to ‘mobilize our thinking!’ and points out that ‘a man’s freedom depends on the length of his chain.’

VČ: It doesn’t go as deep as some other cycles, but why should it? I definitely wouldn’t call it cheap. The ideas are valid and contain a touch of humor.

OW: For this cycle, the artists are required to decide on the tempi. How did you go about making the decision?

RH: I chose the tempi together with Vojtěch Červenka, the pianist. I would say that we played it differently every time, depending on our mood and the mood of the audience, which you don’t have in a studio. In the case of “Neučesané myšlenky,” I always react to the atmosphere at the venue. Time flows differently in live performances, and you can control it by pausing or speeding it up. It really needs to be performed live! Although I did enjoy recording it.

VČ: It’s not complicated at all. I think the music does exactly what it’s supposed to. Roman and I were on the same page; he brought a lot of interesting details to it, and I think we both enjoyed the process. The tempo came out quite naturally.

OW: “Prsten Třeboňské Madoně” has a religious theme? Was it something you could relate to?

DM: I believe the religious subtext works more in the relationship between man and the source, rather than directly between man and God or a deity. On the contrary, the texts are very simple, almost folk-like, with suffering being the common thread.

VČ: It’s a song of thanks for life, written during the Second World War, dedicated to the statue of the Virgin Mary, but I don’t see much religious meaning in it. The text is rich in imagery, storytelling, and symbolism. I feel a strong contrast between its celestial innocence and worldly evil.

OW:  “Stručné úvahy” is three reflections for alto and soprano. What challenges were specific to this piece?

MJ: These three duets were among the last compositions by Sláva Vorlová, and she did not live to see them performed. They are written using a serial technique based on numerological calculations, and the melodies and harmonies are quite challenging to master! Miroslav Holub’s “Stručné úvahy” are an example of “anti-poetry,” and Sláva Vorlová infuses them with a tremendous sense of musical humor that complements their irony. Together with “Stručné úvahy,” these are undoubtedly her most successful works in our dramaturgy. The members of the audience in Prague, where we performed them, were laughing so much, they were in tears.

TM: In the three “Stručné úvahy,” it’s possible to explore a wider range of vocal styles and work with different types of expression and sharper emphases, allowing for the conveyance of playfulness, humor, or even a touch of quarrelsomeness.

OW: How were the specific cycles selected?

MJ: We wanted to present a representative cross-section of Sláva Vorlová’s song and piano compositions on the 130th anniversary of her birth. The program thus reflects her turbulent life story and the evolution of her compositional style, from dramatic and contemplative to humorous pieces.

OW: How did you select the piano pieces?

KB: Vorlová has four works for solo piano, not counting sundry pedagogical pieces. The opus 20 pair, “Síla světla” and “Taneční fantasie” and “Parafráze husitskych zpēvu,” made a logical addition to the album. They complement her vocal work well, supplementing and broadening the understanding of Vorlová’s compositional language.

I chose not to include the fourth work, “Variace rozcestí,” mainly due to time considerations. It consists of a wonderfully crafted 12-tone theme, with thirty variations worked out with various compositional devices. At just under 30 minutes in length, it was just too substantial for this project. I plan to include it in future projects of my own solo work.

OW: If you had to sum up these discs of Vorlová’s music, what would you say about them?

KB: The word that comes to mind when defining her style is ‘unique.’ Each work is a fresh experiment or contains a new outlook. Despite the spiritual nature of her work, they remain human, tangible and immediate.

MJ: We are thrilled to have been able to present our listeners with an exceptional recording of the highest quality. It’s rare these days to rediscover an almost forgotten work by a female composer, although women are often overlooked far more than men. Even rarer is it for such works to successfully reach an audience and receive widespread acclaim. It is something that brings us immense joy and fuels our enthusiasm for further projects.