On the penultimate evening of the IMF Český Krumlov 2015 on Friday 7^th August the last concert from the chamber series was played at the Masquerade Hall at the chateau. The Musica Florea ensemble, which engages primarily in so-called historically informed interpretation of Baroque music, performed. The magical spaces of the Masquerade Hall with paintings by Josef Lederer from the middle of the 18^th century offer a setting where this type of music feels “at home”. The audience heard compositions by Baroque composers such as Georg Friedrich Händel, Antonio Vivaldi, Jan Dismas Zelenka and others. South African countertenor Roger Isaacs sang together with the Musica Florea ensemble. “I have known the work of the Musica Florea ensemble for a long time and I have always wanted to perform with them. Reality actually surpassed my expectations, we got on superbly and the concert was a truly unique experience for me, perhaps one of the strongest ones in my career up to now. I was enchanted both by Prague and Český Krumlov,” said Roger Isaacs after the concert, who visited the Czech Republic for the very first time. “The idea to connect our orchestra with the singing of countertenor Roger Isaacs turned out to be a great choice. Roger Isaacs is incredibly flexible and musical, it was great to cooperate with him. This connection enriched us also in terms of our repertoire – Mr. Isaacs brought his repertoire here but also accepted the invitation to the sphere of Czech music and sang compositions by Jan Dismas Zelenka,” said the artistic leader of the ensemble Musica Florea, violoncellist Marek Štryncl. And why did the Musica Florea ensemble decide to dedicate itself to authentic interpretation of old music? “Just as we wouldn’t put an old painting in a modern frame, period instruments and methods of playing or singing of the time suit old music best. We don’t play Bach in the same way as we play Stravinsky, we try to interpret the composition according to the period in which the author lived, what means of expression he had in mind and how he himself imagined the interpretation.” Is the concert performance of chosen arias just as authentic as performing a whole Baroque opera for Marek Štryncl? “Both belong to authentic interpretation of old music. A concert consisting of popular opera arias was, even in the Baroque period, a common event, so it is just as authentic for us to present this program – as we did, for example, today at the Masquerade Hall – as a period opera performance at the Baroque Theatre at the chateau. By the way, the history infused town of Český Krumlov is a sort of repository of inspiration for us from which we constantly draw ideas. The idea to create a project of a travelling Baroque theatre, Florea Theatrum, which we put into operation in 2014, also originated here,” is how Marek Štryncl appreciated the genius loci of Český Krumlov.