Czech debut reviewed
Rafael Brom, KlasikaPlus.cz (20 July, 2026)
The British ensemble Stile Antico‘s first performance in Prague was a revelation…
The sound image of the twelve-member ensemble changed during the concert both within the specific shorter pieces – there were fourteen of them – and in the dramaturgical plan. Male and female voices sounded together and separately, the solo tenor was the bearer of the invocation. We heard it right away in the opening Credo from the Missa papae Marcelli, composed by Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina . This piece preceded a set of pieces dedicated to the legends of the saints, and the dramaturgy presented it as one of two pieces that framed the legends and that created their own myths. The male voices sang selected Gregorian chants that complemented the specific legends, and in the Justorum animae choral celebrating the Feast of All Saints, they sang in a trio. Other changes in the ensemble’s lineup were represented by an octet, a female quintet and a quartet, and in the final piece Miserere mei by Gregorio Allegri , the ensemble was divided into two groups, one of which sang hidden in a corner of the church.
The aforementioned motet Justorum animae reinforced the compositions dedicated to the Feast of All Saints. It was introduced by the motet O quam gloriosum by Tomás Luis de Victorii , which was followed by other compositions placed alternately in the program. These were Gaudeamus omnes , the opening antiphon of the Holy Mass for the Feast of All Saints, Timete Dominum, commemorated by Justorum animae and Beati mundo corde – the latter as a Gregorian chant. The theme was culminated by the motet Justorum animae by William Byrd .
Another of the hymns was Saint William, in whose honor the choir sang the five-part composition O Wilhelme, pastor bone – a tribute by John Taverner . After the intervening Gregorian chant, two compositions dedicated to the patron saint of Spain, Saint James, came, namely the motet O lux et decus Hispaniae by Ambrosius Cotes and the hymn Defensor alme Hispaniae by Alonso Lobo . Here, various vocal transformations were presented in an engaging manner with solos of female and male voices and a wonderful plenum of a mixed ensemble. The vocal mastery of the Stile Antico choir then brought closer the beauty of the eight-part composition Andreas Christi famulus by the Flemish composer Thomas Crecquillon, composed in honor of Saint Andrew. This year marks the eight hundredth anniversary of the death of Saint Francis of Assisi. In his honor, the choir sang the motet Beatus Franciscus by the Granadan composer Jerónimo de Aliseda as a balanced and hymnic octet with a beautiful cantilena and a fervent solo by the female trio. Other music was dedicated to the honor of two saints. Saint Catherine of Alexandria was commemorated by the female quartet with the motet Virgo sancta Katherina by Nicolas Gombert , and in celebration of Saint Cecilia, Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina wrote the magnificent motet Cantatibus organis.
The concert program booklet explained the inclusion of two compositions that are not dedicated to saints, but that, due to their masterly quality, have given rise to “their own myths”. The opening was the Credo from the Missa papae Marcelli mass by Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina. The myth says that with this accessible composition with clear text, the author saved polyphonic music in the liturgy from being banned. The final piece of the concert by the Stile Antico vocal ensemble was the famous Miserere mei , composed by Gregorio Allegri, composer and singer of the papal band under Urban VIII. The myth that accompanies the mass states that the Vatican banned the making of copies of the mass under threat of excommunication and continues with the news that the young Mozart wrote down the composition after listening to it twice. The legend still lives on, but there is evidence that copies of the work were already circulating in Europe, even before Mozart’s visit to Rome.
The Stile Antico vocal ensemble sang Allegri’s Miserere mei divided into two parts. The five-voice group remained in the front of the church, and the four-voice choir was placed in the left side aisle. The sound that reached the central aisle from here gave the impression of a muffled echo, from which a surprising accent of the female voices stood out. In the final song, the separate choir approached, but did not join the five-voice group, so the singing remained mythical in tone.
The premiere of the British choir in Prague was truly an extraordinary event. The perfection of the ensemble was not only the vocal mastery of the individual members, but above all their unifying expression without soloist ambitions and a convincing belief in the service of music. Through it, the choir demonstrated a clear effort to reveal content in an unostentatious, humble and fervent confession of respect for the saints.