Ars Rediviva

Ars Rediviva

Company type	Ensemble
Industry	Classical music performance
Founded	1951 in Prague, Czechoslovakia
Founder	Milan Munclinger, Viktorie Švihlíková
Defunct	2002
Headquarters	Prague , Czechoslovakia (later Czech Republic)
Products	Classical instrumental music performances and recordings

Ars Rediviva was a Czech ensemble specializing in classical instrumental music, whose historically informed interpretations played a vital role in the resurgence of Baroque music within Czechoslovakia.

Ars Rediviva chamber ensemble

Established in 1951 in Prague by flautist and musicologist Milan Munclinger alongside his spouse, pianist and harpsichordist Viktorie Švihlíková (later replaced by Josef Hála), the initial formation featured distinguished members of the Czech Philharmonic such as cellist František Sláma and oboist Stanislav Duchoň, who was subsequently succeeded by violinists Václav Snítil and Antonín Novák. Between 1951 and 1956, the ensemble collaborated with Václav Talich. Following Munclinger’s passing in 1986, leadership transitioned to Sláma.

Orchestra, soloists

The core repertoire of Ars Rediviva concentrated predominantly on chamber music, with a special emphasis on works by Johann Sebastian Bach. When required, the group expanded to a chamber orchestra format, mainly drawing musicians from the Czech Philharmonic, including flautists Géza Novák and František Čech, oboist Jiří Mihule, bassoonists Karel Bidlo and František Herman, as well as horn players Miroslav Štefek and Zdeněk Tylšar.

Collaborations extended to the Czech Philharmonic Choir and prominent Czech vocalists such as Karel Berman, Ladislav Mráz, Jana Jonášová, Virginia Walterová, and Ludmila Vernerová. The ensemble also worked alongside international specialists in Baroque and Classical music like András Adorján, Theo Altmeyer, Maurice André, Nedda Casei, Otto Peter, and Jean-Pierre Rampal.

Season performances (1954–1994)

Beginning in 1954, Ars Rediviva organized seasonal concert series initially held at Wallenstein Palace, later relocating to the Rudolfinum. Their offerings started with six concerts per year and grew to twelve annually over four decades. These programs unveiled hundreds of compositions, including numerous archival premieres. Recordings of live performances at Rudolfinum are archived at the Czech Museum of Music.

Repertoire, recordings

Ars Rediviva was pioneering in Czechoslovakia for extensively recording Bach’s oeuvre, producing LPs that encompassed the complete Brandenburg Concertos, the Art of Fugue, the Musical Offering, trio sonatas, flute sonatas, cantatas, and reconstructed concertos. Their discography also includes works by Bach’s sons (Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach: sonatas, symphonies, concertos; Wilhelm Friedemann Bach: symphonies, sonatas; Johann Christian Bach: chamber pieces, symphonies), alongside compositions by Antonio Vivaldi (concertos, sonatas, Stabat Mater), Jean-Philippe Rameau (Pièces en Concerts), François Couperin (Les Apothéoses, Les Goûts réunis), Georg Philipp Telemann (concertos, orchestral suites, Nouveaux Quatuors, Tafelmusik, Essercizii musici, Der Harmonischer Gottes-Dienst, cantatas), Jan Dismas Zelenka (trio sonatas ZWV 181, orchestral compositions, Lamentationes Jeremiae Prophetae), as well as members of the Benda family (Franz Benda, Georg Benda) among others.

Their recordings were released through leading labels such as Supraphon, Panton, Columbia, Ariola, CBS, Orfeo, Nippon, Deutsche Grammophon, and Sony. Beyond recordings, Ars Rediviva contributed to radio broadcasts, television productions, and film projects, earning distinctions including the Grand Prix du Disque and Supraphon Golden Lion.

In addition, Czech composers like Jan Tausinger, Ivan Jirko, and Ilja Hurník dedicated neoclassical pieces to Ars Rediviva—among them Hurník’s Sonata da Camera and Concerto for Flute and Chamber Orchestra.

Archives, recordings, and documents

• František Sláma Archive: Ars Rediviva. Collection of Documents – Photographs – Audio Records
• Milan Munclinger: Documents and Personal Memories
• Viktorie Švihlíková: Archive of Documents and Photographs
• Czech Philharmonic Musicians and Ars Rediviva
• Ars Rediviva: Discography of Recordings with Supraphon and Panton (1954–1984)
• Czech Radio Archives: Ars Rediviva Recordings

Additional resources

• WorldCat Library Catalog
• J.S. Bach Official Website
• Bach: Concertos For Flute And Strings, Reconstruction by Milan Munclinger, Featuring J.P. Rampal and Ars Rediviva
• Franz Benda: Concertos For Flute, Performed by Andras Adorján and Ars Rediviva
• Lamentationes Jeremiae Prophetae, Nedda Casei with Ars Rediviva
• Czech Radio: Compositions by I. Hurník Influenced by Milan Munclinger and Ars Rediviva
• Czech Radio: Prague Spring Festival and Munclinger's Ars Rediviva
• Czech Radio: Baroque Music Interpretation and Ars Rediviva
• Czech Radio: Celebrated Performers (Solo Tribute to Josef Hála)
• Czech Radio: Celebrated Performers (Solo Tribute to Karel Bidlo)
• Journalist Ivan Medek Reflects on Milan Munclinger and Ars Rediviva