From obsequiousness comes greatness. Coupled to an allegorical play‚ designed to laud not only a Habsburg emperor (Charles VI) at his coronation in Prague in 1723 but also his predecessors who had controlled the Czech lands since 1526‚ is Italianate music of vigour‚ grandeur and tenderness. It simply needs to be experienced. That we are now able to do so is due to Vratislav BÆlsk´y‚ whose reconstruction of the work Supraphon published in 1987. Impossible to describe everything (BÆlsk´y’s preface covers over 18 pages in the English translation) but briefly‚ Sub olea pacis is one of only four Latin plays with music‚ out of hundreds‚ to survive complete and is the only one which identifies the composer; Zelenka seems to have written most of the music in a hurry; there were a number of major inconsistencies between a copy of the music in Prague and the manuscript in Dresden; the libretto mentions the presence of dancers but the score contains no dance interludes‚ so what they did or what they represented is unknown. It is unlikely that they were of Czech origin. Habsburg policy of the day was to ‘Germanise’ the country; and the Jesuits‚ responsible for the texts and staging‚ obeyed the rules while exalting a dynasty that had installed them in 1556 to lead the Counter Reformation in Bohemia. Sensibly‚ the play itself has been omitted in this recording. Speech contained in 16 scenas would have been tedious on CD‚ particularly‚ as BÆlsk´y says‚ ‘the music really is not very integrated into the play itself’. A lot of the music was inserted into the script under titles like ‘Parergon comicom’‚ ‘Parergon intermedium’ and ‘Appertinens musicum’‚ each of which could cover several musical numbers. Zelenka’s contribution is operatic and‚ after a three­part Overture‚ matches the drama with a prologue‚ three acts and epilogue. There are recitatives and choruses; and arias‚ many of which have repetition because they are in either da capo or dal segno form. Trumpets and timpani are included yet‚ intriguingly‚ not horns. The continuo group is thought to have been harpsichord‚ cello and Zelenka’s own instrument‚ the violone‚ with portable organ (S ùtryncl also introduces a theorbo) in some places. But of the 36 numbers‚ 33 have no dynamic indications while only 14 specify speed. Nevertheless BÆlsk´y believes that ‘from the character of the music‚ it is clear that we are dealing almost entirely with a work in fast‚ allegro tempo.’ His conjectural restoration of the missing markings is added to the score in square brackets. Let’s now dispense with an irritating technical flaw. First and second violins are placed on either side of the podium (as they should be) but the firsts aren’t always stable. They tend to move within their own area but‚ worse‚ sometimes merge with the seconds on the right. Otherwise the recording is very good: spacious with no gimmicky close­ups to give the period instruments a bad sound and the solo singers an artificial presence. One thing is certain; Zelenka often taxes the singers. For instance‚ in No 28 (marked Andante by the composer)‚ the soprano has to hold a single syllable in slow­moving semiquavers over five bars and later‚ another syllable over six. Hlavenková rides the difficulties with aplomb‚ but her artistic and technical accomplishments‚ and those of the other singers‚ all of whom are of similar probity‚ might not have been shown to such advantage without such a considerate conductor. Throughout the performance‚ S ùtryncl’s pacing of the music and balancing of dynamics show concern not only for his colleagues but also for making sense of the words themselves. His ability to float a flexible rhythm is keen‚ though‚ occasionally‚ he veers towards rigidity. The other side of this sensitivity‚ however‚ is a reticence that underplays the full splendour of some ceremonial numbers. Brass and drums are a tad subdued. It’s a small point‚ given such richness of content. Look out‚ too‚ for those remarkable arias that pit solo instruments against singers‚ particularly No 22 where a chalumeau (precursor of the clarinet‚ here played by Christian Leitherer) duets with a soprano. It is also a piece where the dal segno is exclusively instrumental and Leitherer resourcefully embellishes his line in the reiterated section. So there you have it‚ a magnificent work. And Zelenka‚ anticipating Haydn‚ signed off with the words ‘Laus Deo’. Most appropriate – which is another way of saying that this set is a significant addition to the recorded repertoire. Do listen and delight in what it has to offer.