For two decades now, Collegium 1704 and Collegium Vocale 1704 have been dedicating themselves to the work of Jan Dismas Zelenka, the long-underrated composer from their homeland. Through concerts and numerous CD recordings, they are giving him the attention he deserves.

To mark their 20th anniversary, Collegium 1704 and Collegium Vocale 1704 are now presenting another work from Zelenka‘s extensive sacred vocal oeuvre: the solemn Missa Circumcisionis, for the feast of the Circumcision of the Lord in the Temple, now known as Epiphany.

The Missa is one of the most extensive and richly orchestrated of Zelenka’s approximately 20 mass compositions. It was written in 1728, when Zelenka stood in for the ailing Dresden Kapellmeister Johann David Heinichen. The festive Christmas spirit implied by the feast day pervades the entire work.

Václav Luks and his Collegium 1704 complement the programme with the Missa Corporis Domini, which was composed about 10 years later and, for a less important occasion, features only strings and oboes.