Recorded at the Domovina Studio, Prague, November 8-10 and December 3, 2013.

An inherent, characteristic feature of the musical language of Zelenka and Tůma, the two most distinguished Czech Baroque composers, is perfectly mastered counterpoint, which alongside progressive trends in Baroque continued to live as a stile antico. Zelenka, Tůma, as well as their currently virtually unknown contemporary J. G. Orschler, studied in Vienna with the Imperial Kapellmeister Johann Joseph Fux (1660-1741). All three had strong Prague links and although they mainly gained recognition beyond the Czech lands, their music was performed and highly valued in Prague too. Zelenka’s stile antico pieces represent a little-known yet interesting part of his oeuvre. Tůma’s Stabat Mater is a masterpiece bearing witness to the transformation of the “old craft” into a new pre-Classicist style. The recording, made by the internationally renowned Collegium 1704 ensemble, includes several modern-time premieres providing us with a fascinating view of the little-known works by the three Czech Baroque masters.