Nearly 1,000 kilometres separate Holešov, Moravia, from Strasbourg, if one takes a detour through Mannheim. Franz Xaver Richter's professional journey started in Count Rottal's court orchestra in Holešov and ended in the prestigious post of Kapellmeister at the Cathédrale Notre-Dame in Strasbourg. He is primarily known as one of the major representatives of the renowned Mannheim School, with his "trumpet" Sinfonia No. 52 in D being a typical example of the late Mannheim form. The grandiose Te Deum, featured on the present CD, is Richter's second setting of the hymn and was first performed in 1781 in Strasbourg, during the celebrations marking the centenary of the city's coming under French administration.

"… he sat down in an armchair, pored over for the last time the score of the mourning music he himself had composed for his funeral, and - when lightly touched by the angel of death - bowed his head and passed away." C. F. Schubart's description of the death in 1789 of the eighty-year-old F. X. Richter, Kapellmeister of the Cathédrale Notre-Dame in Strasbourg, may be rather romantic (two years later an almost identical story related to the last moments of W. A. Mozart), yet when looking at the clean copy of the autograph score we cannot resist the idea that the Requiem encapsulates the quintessence of his legacy.

This program of Franz Xaver Richter (1709-89) is another in Matthias Bamert’s series of Mozart Contemporaries. These little-known late-18th Century musicians deserve more recognition. The London Mozart Players are a crack ensemble who readily follow Bamert’s outstanding leadership. The Chandos sound is among the best, and the notes are superb. Three of these five works are premiere recordings, which makes this all the more attractive.

The range of the Bohemian – and to a lesser extent Moravian – musical diaspora can be very adequately gauged from the composers in this survey. Some underwent name-changing, Germanicising being the most opportune thing to do if seeking preferment in a ducal court, not least as regards pronunciation. In the first volume therefore we find Jiří Antonín Benda becoming Georg Anton and Jan Křitetel Vaňhal turning into Johann Baptist Vanhal, even Wanhal. And so on.

[Mysliveček] “She is a charming, persuasive advocate … The ECO, too, offer fine support and with a range of tone colours, match de la Vega’s recreative imagination. Pentatone has captured these performances in particularly clear sound … De la Vega offers the first recording of a Concerto in D by Mysliveček, one that displays the utmost craftsmanship and appeal … her fine performance renders it memorable”.

A thoroughly democratic balance of forces is evident in 'Music at the Court of Mannheim', a distinct and adventurous foray into early classical repertoire heralding Harnoncourt's debut recording for Teldec; a legendary career itself was born in the alert strains of these pioneering works.