J. Zach - Hudba Prahy 18. století - CD

This CD presents two liturgical works by Jan Zach (1713–1773): Requiem solemne in C minor and Vesperae de Beata Virgine in D major, or Marian Vespers, performed by Michaela Šrůmová, Sylva Čmugrová, Čeněk Svoboda, Jaromír Nosek, Musica Florea and Collegium Floreum under the direction of Marek Štryncl. Zach is usually associated with the Czech musical emigration of the 18th century, although by the time he left Bohemia in 1741, aged 28, he had already composed a substantial body of work. Liturgical music forms the centre of his output, and he set the text of the Requiem three times. His Requiem solemne in C minor was among the most frequently performed works in Prague churches, as the many surviving copies attest, and it continued to be heard there until the 20th century. Today, the Mass can also be heard as a vivid survey of the compositional styles of its time, ranging from strict counterpoint to modern coloratura arias. Zach’s Marian Vespers, presented here in a modern premiere, were also widely performed in Prague and already contain echoes of the Viennese Classical style. Together, the two works evoke the music heard in Prague’s newly built churches in the 1730s. Musica Florea undertakes this premiere with its characteristic commitment, bringing back to life the music of Prague’s 18th-century church galleries.