• Žofín Academy: participating institution, chorus
• KOLEŠOVSKÝ, Zikmund Michal: director of institute, conductor

Advance information about this concert was published by Prager Morgenpost 16/12/1859, which noted that ‘The general rehearsal of the Vocal-Concert which will be given by the members of the Sophien-Academie [Žofín Academy], is on Sunday [18/12/1859] afternoon at 3 o’clock in the rooms of the Academy. The concert itself will be on Tuesday 20th December at 4.30 pm in the Hall of the Sophien-Insel [Žofín Island] under the leadership of the [Academy’s] music director.’ The text then listed the complete programme. News of the concert, its time and venue was listed in the Tageskalender of Bohemia 20/12/1859.

Dalibor 20/12/1859 reported that this concert was to take place at 4pm ‘today’, i.e. on 20th December, the date of publication of the periodical. This feuilleton report included a detailed listing of the programme in performance order, but failed to specify both the works by Kücken and Abt. Instead, a mistaken combination of the title of Kücken’s work with Abt as composer was cited. This ‘Motetto... by Fr. Abt’ was specified as being the first item, followed by the two Czech songs. According to the subsequent Dalibor 1/1/1860 review, which incorrectly stated that the concert took place on 28/12/1860, the concert concluded with piano compositions performed by Löw and not with choral works by Kolešovský and Handel.

The unsigned Dalibor 1/1/1860 review considered that the ‘Concert of the Žofín Academy on 28th December this time contained a very interesting programme, of which particular attention was focussed upon the new composition „Ebrejská elegie“ by Zik. Kolešovský, the director of the Academy. ... The composer, employing the complete text, astutely fashioned his composition, setting the characteristic text with appropriate and moving music, to which the cello body adds an elegaic [touch]. The effect of the work is deeply poignant. The performance was excellent, the applause... tumultuous.’ Of the other works in the concert, the two Czech songs were performed ‘accurately’ by Miss Sobotka, pupil of the Academy. ‘Besides that was performed a motetto by Kücken, and the magnificent and powerful Halleluja by Haendel, Regina coeli for mixed chorus of A. Caldara, the Vineta, male voice chorus by Abt, and finally the witty and characteristic composition „Das Zigeunerleben“ by Robert Schumann. To end Jos. Löw performed [Chopin and Schumann] elegantly, skillfully and with pertinent expression. The success of the concert was very splendid. The numerous audience rewarded the director [Kolešovský] and the participants with generous applause.’

Reviews of the concert appeared in Prager Zeitung 23/12/1859, signed ‘!!’ and in Bohemia 22/12/1859, signed ‘V.’. A brief review also appeared in Prager Morgenpost 22/12/1859.

The programme is reproduced in this database record in the performance order suggested by the Prager Morgenpost 16/12/1859 report. Although the earlier Dalibor 20/12/1859 report identified the Hallelujah by Handel simply as a ‘fuga’, and similarly the Morgenpost 16/12/1859 text titled the work as a fugue, there can be little doubt given the descriptions such as ‘nadherný a mohutný’ [magnificent and powerful] and ‘großartiges’ appearing in other sources, that this was the familiar chorus from Messiah. Prager Morgenpost 16/12/1859 was the only source to identify all of the soloists in this concert. However, the source was inconsistent in identifying one of these individuals, spelling their name as both ‘Hožak’ and ‘Hozák’.