Programme

Jacobus Gallus-Handl (1550–1591), arr. Břetislav Kotrba: Canite tuba in sion (advent antiphone)

Claudio Monteverdi (1567–1643), arr. B. Kotrba: Adoramus Te Christe

arr. B. Kotrba: Advent songs from the baroque hymnals

Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber (1644–1704), arr. B. Kotrba: Serenade mit nachtwächter (a 877a)

arr. B. Kotrba: Advent and Christmas in the Krkonoše Mountains

Jakub Jan Ryba (1765–1815), arr. B. Kotrba: Two Pastorales (Milí synáčkové, Housle zněte!)

Giulio Caccini (1551–1618), arr. B. Kotrba: Ave Maria

Georges Bizet (1838–1875), arr. B. Kotrba: Agnus dei

Josef Vejvoda (1945): Retrospective

arr. Břetislav Kotrba: Once Upon a Christmas (melody from the Karel Vlach’s orchestra)

The Advent evening at the Hus Congregation Hall in Stará Bělá will present a festive yet intimate view of Christmas music, performed by the Czech Philharmonic Low Brass Ensemble. Six outstanding players led by trombonist Robert Kozánek will present the programme Once Upon a Christmas, which brings together the spiritual depth of the Baroque tradition with Czech musical memory and the gentle nostalgia of the 20th century.

From Advent antiphons and hymnal songs through works by Biber, Ryba’s pastorales, and Caccini’s Ave Maria, to Bizet’s Agnus Dei, a musical image of Christmas unfolds as a time of light, silence, and hope. The distinctive low-brass instrumentation lends familiar melodies a new, velvety sonority—both majestic and warmly human. Břetislav Kotrba’s arrangements sensitively explore instrumental colour, emphasising melodic clarity, lyricism, and atmosphere. This concert offers Christmas as we remember it and rediscover it: simple, festive, and deeply moving.