Pozdraveno budiž světlo

The​ ​Time​ ​Of​ ​The​ ​Arrival​ ​Of​ ​The​ ​Bethlehem​ ​Light ​

The​ ​album,​ Pozdraveno​ ​budiž​ ​světlo​ ​(​i.e.​ Greeted​ Be​ The​ Light) ​is​ ​a​ ​recording​ ​for​ ​long​ ​winter evenings.​ ​It​ ​is​ ​full​ ​of​ ​not​ ​only​ ​the​ ​most​ ​beautiful​ ​Christmas​ ​carols,​ ​which​ ​Jiří​ ​Pavlica​ ​and Hradišťan​ ​recorded,​ ​but​ ​it​ ​also​ ​contains​ ​songs​ ​that​ ​relate​ ​to​ ​Advent,​ ​the​ ​arrival​ ​of​ ​the​ ​New Year​ ​and​ ​the​ ​whole​ ​period​ ​when​ ​the​ ​evenings​ ​are​ ​longer​ ​than​ ​the​ ​days​ ​and​ ​the​ ​landscape​ ​is covered​ ​with​ ​snow.​ ​​ ​These​ ​twenty-one​ ​meditations​ ​are​ ​not​ ​only​ ​about​ ​Christmas contemplation​ ​and​ ​the​ ​message​ ​of​ ​the​ ​arrival​ ​of​ ​the​ ​Bethlehem​ ​light,​ ​but​ ​also​ ​about​ ​a​ ​time of​ ​hope​ ​that​ ​this​ ​period​ ​brings​ ​to​ ​us.

 Jiří​ ​Pavlica​ ​and​ ​Hradišťan​ ​included​ ​not​ ​only​ ​well-known​ ​Christmas​ ​carols​ ​on​ ​the​ ​album,​ ​but​ ​also original​ ​songs.​ ​Seven​ ​of​ ​the​ ​twenty-one​ ​tracks,​ ​including​ ​the​ ​title​ ​song,​ ​Pozdraveno​ ​budiž​ ​světlo, were​ ​written​ ​by​ ​Jiří​ ​Pavlica.​ ​​“The presented selection begins with an excerpt of the biblical text of the Gospel of St. John the Baptist, followed by songs that reflect the current, often civil, perception of Christmas,” ​says​ ​Jiři​ ​Pavlica​ ​in​ ​the​ ​album​ ​introduction​ ​and​ ​explains​ ​the​ ​basic​ ​premise​ ​of​ ​the​ ​overall selection​ ​of​ ​the​ ​songs​ ​and​ ​the​ ​reason​ ​why​ ​it​ ​has​ ​such​ ​a​ ​symbolic​ ​name.​ ​​“​The symbol of light is one of the strongest and most vital because “the light shines in darkness and darkness doesn’t absorb it … ”. Every year we look forward to advent and Christmas as a time of hope, the birth of new life, and the arrival of the light of Bethlehem. Man longs for this symbolism and has expressed this desire through art, including music art in a variety of forms, over the centuries.” Christmas​ ​albums​ ​and​ ​selections​ ​are​ ​produced​ ​in​ ​large​ ​quantities​ ​each​ ​year.​ ​That​ ​is​ ​why​ ​Jiří Pavlica​ ​and​ ​Hradišťan​ ​watched​ ​carefully​ ​not​ ​only​ ​the​ ​artistic​ ​quality​ ​of​ ​the​ ​recordings,​ ​but​ ​an important​ ​element​ ​was​ ​also​ ​the​ ​message​ ​that​ ​the​ ​song​ ​itself​ ​brings.​ ​​“I believe that in each of these songs  there’s at least a small piece of light that shines in darkness,  the darkness doesn’t absorb it and  enlightens every human,”​ ​says​ ​Jiří​ ​Pavlica​ ​and​ ​so​ ​the​ ​whole​ ​compilation resonates​ ​with​ ​the​ ​symbolism​ ​of​ ​Christmas​ ​such​ ​as​ ​light​ ​and​ ​hope,​ ​which​ ​guides​ ​us​ ​not​ ​only throughout​ ​this​ ​recording,​ ​but​ ​also​ ​our​ ​entire​ ​life.
 
This​ ​compilation​ ​CD​ ​is​ ​in​ ​a​ ​digipack​ ​and,​ ​apart​ ​from​ ​the​ ​well-known​ ​songs,​ ​also​ ​contains​ ​five never​ ​released​ ​tracks​ ​from​ ​Hradišťan.​ ​These​ ​are​ ​​Čas​ ​darů,​ ​Slava​ ​v​ ​vyšnijich​ ​Bogu,​ ​Puer natus​ ​in​ ​Betlehem,​ ​Wstaňcie,​ ​pasterze​ ​​and​​ ​Maria​ ​Panna​.​​ ​If​ ​you​ ​visit​ ​one​ ​of​ ​the​ ​regular Hradišťan​ ​Christmas​ ​concerts,​ ​you’ll​ ​hear​ ​most​ ​of​ ​the​ ​songs​ ​included​ ​in​ ​this​ ​album.​ ​They​ ​are​ ​part​ ​of the​ ​traditional​ ​Christmas​ ​concert​ ​program​ ​of​ ​Jiří​ ​Pavlica​ ​and​ ​Hradišťan.