Few pleasures in Prague rival an evening with Collegium 1704, the city’s premier early music ensemble. The group’s name is derived from a seminal performance that year in Prague of music by Jan Dismas Zelenka, the greatest of the Czech Baroque composers. So it was fitting that founder and conductor Václav Luks chose Zelenka’s Missa Circumcisionis to kick off Collegium 1704’s 20th anniversary season. Paired with Handel’s Dixit Dominus, it made for an inspirational evening of sacred music.
To say that Missa Circumcisionis sounded not at all like typical sacred music is a compliment. In part that reflects the work’s origins, composed for a royal court in Dresden that demanded brevity and welcomed the addition of trumpets, French horns and kettle drums for a celebratory worship service. But the inspiration for the performance came entirely from Luks, who set a brisk tempo and pumped the piece full of propulsive rhythms, augmenting spirited work by the orchestra with an intense sound from the chorus. Luks is gifted at crafting vivid aural palettes, burnishing them in this piece with bright colors from the brass to create a sense of joy that was at once emotionally powerful and deeply spiritual.
It’s also a compliment to say that the Collegium Vocale 1704 was on fire from the opening notes, singing with both passion and precision. Rather than grouped in tiers, Luks had the singers arrayed behind the orchestra in a single straight line stretching across the stage, an arrangement that opened up their sound, giving it additional impact. Strong support was provided by five soloists who were particularly good in duet pairings. Soprano Tereza Zimková was a lustrous partner for both mezzo Aneta Petrasová and countertenor Gabriel Díaz Cuesta, who showed an exceptionally pure, clear voice. And tenor Ondřej Holub and bass Tomáš Šelc teamed up for a lively interlude in the Gloria.
The vocals were front and center for the Dixit Dominus, a psalm setting that puts serious demands on the singers. Handel, taken with the new developments in Italian opera, composed vocal lines that span a virtuosic range, requiring both remarkable agility and great sensitivity. Both came to the fore in this performance, with muted accompaniment showcasing decorous solos by Zimková and Cuesta, and sharp ensemble work that included Holub, soprano Pavla Radostová and bass Tadeáš Hoza. Still, the most impressive singing came from the chorus, which handled the vocal acrobatics with aplomb and drove the piece with blazing cascades of sound.
If the music takes a back seat in much of the score, that was no impediment to expert work by the orchestra, which was remarkably tight, especially for a period music ensemble. The playing was finely detailed, giving the music character even when it was no more than a continuo. Luks also showed an expert hand in his layering of the vocal and instrumental sounds, building a vibrant, colorful treatment. This culminated in a rising crescendo that exploded in a fireworks finish, bringing the audience to its feet.
There is no telling at this remove what Zelenka’s or Handel’s music sounded like when it was originally played, though Luks has spent many hours in dusty archives trying to get as close to historical accuracy as anyone can. Add to that the natural buoyancy and sparkle he brings to the music, and the modern taste for exuberance, and Collegium 1704 seems well on its way to another 20 years of fresh, invigorating performances.
