The soprano Ania Vegry, the recipient of many prizes, was nominated by Opernwelt as the Young Artist of the Year in 2009 and has been an ensemble member at the State Opera of Lower Saxony in Hanover since 2007. The Online Musik Magazin certifies that »her soprano voice, most highly fluent in the coloraturas, possesses warmth and substance, expressive power, and flawless intonation« – which makes her the ideal choice for the rich affections of the arias of Florian Leopold Gassmann, an Austrian composer on the cusp between the Baroque and Early Classicism. After two years of study with Giovanni Battista Martini, Gassmann became an organist in Venice. In 1757 he composed his first opera, and through 1762 he composed an opera every year for the Carnival season In Venice.

This is part of a now long-running series devoted, as the title indicates, to the music of Baroque Bohemia and indeed ‘beyond’. It has reached volume six with this latest release. Whether Baroque or, as here, pre- or indeed solidly Classical, this series is revealing just how full of depth is the wellspring of the Bohemian musical diaspora. If the names Schimpke, Gassmann and Jírovec mean little or nothing to you, then you are certainly not alone. But each composer offers a revealing sidelight on both his heritage and his milieu, as reflected in these three works. All are orchestral.