Ars Rediviva

Ars Rediviva chamber ensemble

The group was founded in 1951 in Prague by flautist and musicologist Milan Munclinger and his wife, pianist and harpsichordist Viktorie Švihlíková, later succeeded by Josef Hála. The original lineup included cellist František Sláma and oboist Stanislav Duchoň, both from the Czech Philharmonic; Duchoň was later succeeded by violinists Václav Snítil and Antonín Novák. Václav Talich collaborated with the ensemble from 1951 to 1956. After Munclinger died in 1986, Sláma took over leadership.

Orchestra, soloists

The repertoire centered on chamber music, especially works by Johann Sebastian Bach. The ensemble expanded as needed to a chamber orchestra, drawing primarily on Czech Philharmonic instrumentalists, including string players and wind players such as flautists Géza Novák and František Čech, oboist Jiří Mihule, bassoonists Karel Bidlo and František Herman, and horn players Miroslav Štefek and Zdeněk Tylšar. Ars Rediviva collaborated with the Czech Philharmonic Choir, Czech singers, and foreign artists specializing in Baroque and Classical music.

Repertoire, recordings

Ars Rediviva was the first ensemble in Czechoslovakia to record many works by Bach, including LPs of the complete Brandenburg Concertos, the Art of Fugue, the Musical Offering, trio sonatas, flute sonatas, cantatas, and concerto reconstructions. They also recorded music by Bach's sons, Antonio Vivaldi, Jean-Philippe Rameau, François Couperin, Georg Philipp Telemann, Jan Dismas Zelenka, Franz Benda, Georg Benda, and others. The ensemble recorded for labels such as Supraphon, Panton, Columbia, Ariola, CBS, Orfeo, Nippon, Deutsche Grammophon, and Sony, and received awards including the Grand Prix du Disque and Supraphon Golden Lion. Czech composers Jan Tausinger, Ivan Jirko, and Ilja Hurník dedicated neoclassical compositions to Ars Rediviva.

Did You Know?

• In 1954, the ensemble began season performances in Wallenstein Palace, later moving to Rudolfinum.
• Over four decades, several hundred compositions were introduced at these performances, including premieres of archive pieces.
• Live recordings of Ars Rediviva performances in Rudolfinum are deposited in the Czech Museum of Music.