Czech Ensemble Baroque

Roman Válek / conductor

Founded in 1998, Czech Ensemble Baroque specialises in historically informed performance of early music on period instruments, encompassing all genres, especially Baroque and Classicism. It has three sections: an orchestra, a vocal ensemble and soloists, and its members are professional singers and instrumentalists from the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Poland and Germany. The ensemble’s chief conductor is Roman Válek, the concert masters are Peter Zajíček and Elen Machová, the head of the vocal section is Tereza Válková. The artists who have collaborated with Czech Baroque Ensemble include Andreas Scholl, Adam Plachetka, Jean-FranÇois Lombard, Markéta Cukrová, Jaroslav Březina, Marie Fajtová, Joel Frederiksen, Ludmila Peterková, Barbara Maria Willi, Monika Knoblochová, Marek Štryncl, etc. When it comes to musicians pursuing other genres, the ensemble has also worked with the violinist Pavel Šporcl and the singer Vojtěch Dyk.

Their repertoire is made up of cantatas, operas, concertos and symphonies, mainly from the Baroque and Classicism periods. Since September 2012, Czech Ensemble Baroque have had their own extensive subscription cycle in Brno, BACHA NA MOZARTA!

Czech Ensemble Baroque is the ensemble-in-residence of the Znojmo Music Festival, at which they have performed a number of Czech and world premieres of operas, as well as chamber pieces and cantatas, which have met with great critical acclaim, including nominations for the prestigious Czech Thalia Award. The ensemble have appeared at renowned festivals (Smetana’s Li­tomyšl, Janáček May, Days of Early Music in Bratislava, Muzyka Baltycka in Gdaňsk, Brno Easter Festival, etc.), and have regularly performed within the Prague Symphony Orchestra Concert Series. Since 2006, Czech Ensemble Baroque have co-organised the Třebíč Opera Festival, and since 2003, they have held at the Holešov Chateau the Summer School of Baroque Music for young professional musicians. The ensemble have intensively co-operated with Czech Television and Czech Radio, recording ground-breaking titles (Rameau: Platée, Mysliveček: Montezuma – world premiere recording, Lully: Te Deum, etc.). They have recorded several projects for the German radio stations WDR and NDR, and also regularly recorded for the European Broadcasting Union. Over recent years, they have worked on film productions: Marguerite (2016), Interlude in Prague (2017), Maria Theresa (2017). Czech Ensemble Baroque’s CD “Händel Oratorio Arias”, featuring the bass-baritone Adam Plachetka, has been highly acclaimed by Czech and international critics. Their Molieri (Mozart and Salieri) tour has met with an enthusiastic response too.

Following four albums featuring F. X. Richter’s mature works, the ensemble have focused on rediscovering the music of another renowned composer of Czech origin, F. I. A. Tůma.

www.ebcz.eu