Collegium 1704 | Collegium Vocale 1704

The harpsichordist and conductor Václav Luks founded the Prague baroque orchestra Collegium 1704 and vocal ensemble Collegium Vocale 1704 on the occasion of the project Bach — Prague — 2005. In 2008, Music Bridge Prague — Dresden began, which in 2012 led to a concert series at the Rudolfinum in Prague. In 2019 Collegium Vocale 1704 launched a series of chamber concerts, continuing since 2021 at Vzlet.

Recently, it has received invitations from such prestigious presenters and concert halls as Salzburger Festspiele, Berliner Philharmonie, Theater an der Wien, Wiener Konzerthaus, BOZAR in Brussels, Chopin Festival in Warsaw, Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg or Bachfest Leipzig. In May 2021 opened the festival Prague Spring with a performance of Smetana’s My Country.

In 2022, Collegium 1704 followed up on the international successes of its production of operas by G. F. Handel, J. Mysliveček and A. Vivaldi by Händel´s opera Alcina, directed by J. Heřman in co-production with ND Brno, Opéra Royal de Versailles and Théâtre de Caen. The ensemble also recorded music for the director Petr Václav’s upcoming feature film Il Boemo about the life of Josef Mysliveček.

Their recordings are being regularly awarded by Diapason d’Or, CD of the Month & Editor’s Choice, and nominated for CD of the Year by Gramophone. Recent achievements include the first complete Czech recording of Handel’s Messiah and a 3-CD with Rameau’s Les Boréades, which won the Trophées 2020 and Edison Klassiek 2021 awards for the best opera release of the year.

In 2021, the ensemble founded its own online platform UNIVERSO 1704, where it releases premieres of video-concerts that connect exceptional works in top-class interpretations with the genius loci of attractive places in the Czech Republic and Germany.