Martinů Voices, Marek Stilec, Prague Symphony Orchestra - Koželuch: Cantata for the Coronation of Leopold II (2018) [Hi-Res]

The coronation of Leopold II in Prague in 1791 came at a difficult time for European monarchs, although Leopold himself enjoyed a reputation as an enlightened ruler. Two musical works were commissioned for the occasion: Mozart’s opera La clemenza di Tito and Koželuch’s cantata Heil dem Monarchen. The cantata, by turns celebratory, serene and darkly dramatic, was well received and enhanced Koželuch’s reputation in royal circles. It almost certainly played a part in his appointment in 1792 to the court of Leopold’s son and successor, the last Holy Roman Emperor Franz II.