The Advent and Christmas songs from the workshop of Zuzana Lapčíková reflect perhaps all of her musical positions known to date (as a singer and cimbalom player with a penchant for seeking inspiration in jazz and across genres). Yet the Christmas high-spiritedness is frequently supplemented by intimate chamber mood, humility and solemnity.

Besides several sprightly “catchy” pieces, she often soberly makes use of the superlative co-players of her jazz quintet for tranquil duets. Her singing is the golden thread accompanying us throughout – a singing sharing pure joy, elsewhere humility before the Creator and evoking the silent tenderness with which the Virgin Mary looks upon the Infant.

Few know as much about Moravian carols as Zuzana Lapčíková does; even fewer are able to retell them with such understanding and feeling. Christmas joy, however, is the culmination of four weeks of Advent contemplation and expectation.

The Advent songs selected for this recording from Baroque hymn-books wondrously fuse “artful creation” with the magic poetics of folk, verbally handed-down songs. You will surely become fond of some of them at first hearing; with others you will discover more and more beautiful details each time you listen – and quite possibly, you will not want to cast the CD aside even after Christmas has come and gone… Zuzana Lapčíková’s Advent-Christmas album – joy that will remain with you even after Christmas.

Track Listing:
I Kyrie eleison
1. Kyrie eleison
2. What happened that night
3. What happened, what occurred
4. There was a green meadow

II Gloria
5. Gloria in excelsis Deo
6. It’s already winter, frost
7. Shepherds herded sheep
8. Are they Valachs?
9. Everyone rejoice

III Credo
10. How beautiful the sun
11. The Lord’s power
12. The prophets foretold
13. Christ, dear son

IV. Sanctus
14. Welcome, Jesus Christ
15. Visit us, little child
16. Oh, Holy Virgin
17. This joyous child

V Benedictus
18. The Lord’s Archangel came down from heaven
19. Joseph, my dear
20. Blessed, revered
21. I know a grove
22. It was winter
23. Cold water springs

VI Agnus Dei
24. The Virgin Mary wandered the world
25. The Lord’s son was born to us