Classical

Magdalena Kozena - Ah Mio Cor (2007)

2009-10-23T15:09:04Z

Magdalena Kozena - Ah Mio Cor (2007)


01. Alcina Act 2 - Ah, mio cor
02. Hercules Act 3 - Recit. acc: "Where shall I fly?"
03. Agrippina, HWV 6 Act 2 - Pensieri, voi mi tormentate!
04. Giulio Cesare in Egitto HWV 17 Atto primo - No.12 Aria "Cara speme, questo
0core tu cominci"
05. Joshua - Original Version - O Had I Jubal's Lyre
06. Ariodante HWV 33 Act 2 - "Scherza infida in grembo al drudo"
07. Theodora (1750) Part 2 - Sinfony - "With darkness deep" (Theodora) - Sc. 2
08. Amadigi di Gaula Act 2 - Desterò dall'empia dite
09. Orlando Act 2 - Ah Stigie larve! ... Vaghe pupille, non piangete, no
10. Ariodante HWV 33 Act 3 - "Dopo notte, atra e funesta"
11. Rinaldo Act 2 - "Lascia ch'io pianga"

Magdalena Kožená - mezzo-soprano
Francesco Galligioni - cello
Stefanie Haegele - oboe
Patrick Henrichs - trumpet
Venice Baroque Orchestra
Andrea Marcon - conductor

Before the release of this disc called Ah! Mio cor!, charismatic mezzo soprano Magdalena Kozená had already made her mark as a Handel singer with her recordings of the composer's Italian cantatas and opera Julius Caesar, but this triumphant 2007 collection of arias affirms her mastery of the German-English composer's music. Featuring selections from the composer's operas and oratorios, this disc is more of a smorgasbord than a balanced meal with one highly expressive and supremely virtuosic aria following another and the only cohesion supplied by the performer. Clear, smooth, and warm, Kozená's voice is light in tone but with plenty of power behind it and more than enough control to guide it. In these 11 arias, Kozená channels her voice into interpretations that fairly explode with passion, despair, bliss, and fury. Given alert and dramatic accompaniments by Andrea Marcon and the Venice Baroque Orchestra, Kozená delivers striking Handel performances that will attract her fans as well as interest mezzo fans who have not yet heard her. Archiv's digital sound is crisp and cool, with the focus entirely on the singer. ---James Leonard, Rovi

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Magdalena Kozena - Mozart Arias (2006)

2009-10-23T15:12:32Z

Magdalena Kozena - Mozart Arias (2006)


01. Le nozze di Figaro K. 492 Giunse alfin il momento
Deh vieni, non tardar, o gioia bella
02. Le nozze di Figaro K. 492 Voi che sapete che cosa e amor
03. Le nozze di Figaro K. 492 Non so piu cosa son, cosa faccio
04. Le nozze di Figaro K. 492 Giunse alfin il momento Al desio
di chi t'adora K. 577
05. Cosi fan tutte K. 588 In uomini, in soldati
06. Cosi fan tutte K. 588 Ei parte... Senti!... Ah, no! Per pieta,
ben mio, perdona
07. Cosi fan tutte K. 588 E amore un ladroncello
08. La clemenza di Tito K. 621 Non piu di fiori vaghe catene
09. Idomeneo K. 366 Quando avran fine omai Padre, germani
10. Ch'io mi scordi di te Non temer, amato bene K. 505
11. Vado, ma dove o Dei! K. 583
12. Alma grande, e nobil core! K. 578

Magdalena Kožená - mezzo-soprano
Jos van Immerseel - fortepiano
Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment
Simon Rattle - conductor

The simultaneous release of this pair of discs effectively allows us to hear two of today's more glamorous divas going head to head in similar programmes. Their reputations in the UK are, however, unequal: Magdalena Kozena, much hyped, is, of course, comparatively familiar; Anja Harteros has done too little in this country since she won Cardiff Singer of the World in 1999.

Hearing them in close proximity, one's first impression is that Kozena has the more evenly produced voice, while Harteros is dramatically more spontaneous. The centrepiece of each disc is Per Pieta, Fiordiligi's act two aria from Cosi Fan Tutte. Kozena sounds carefully and sorrowfully beautiful in it. Harteros's silvery tone can harden under pressure, though she more vividly communicates the nature of Fiordiligi's emotional and moral hell. This is not the whole story, however, for when we turn to the rest of their respective programmes, we find Kozena aspiring to a greater range of mood than Harteros, though she is by no means as consistently successful.

Harteros keeps herself within the bounds of the serious and the tragic. Her disc begins and ends with delirium, framing a succession of portraits of wronged women with the lurching mania of Elettra in Idomeneo and the derangement of Haydn's Scena di Berenice, both unforgettable in their self-lacerating power. Kozena, in contrast, opens and closes her disc with alternative versions of Susanna's wedding night aria from Figaro, and explores differing facets of Mozartian sensuality in between.

Not all of it works. She's no Vitellia, whose big rondo is unaccountably po-faced. Her Cherubino, meanwhile, is over-embroidered and mannered. On the other hand she reveals a staggering and unexpected flair for comedy. Her Dorabella is well nigh breathless with nervous excitement. Best of all is her Despina, pouring scorn on masculine pretensions with unashamed glee.

Kozena's conductor is her partner, Simon Rattle, whose approach to Mozart is gracious and sometimes lightweight. Harteros has Pinchas Steinberg, grander in manner and occasionally solid. Which disc you prefer is ultimately a matter of taste. Kozena's fans won't be disappointed. But don't ignore Harteros - she's a fine artist. ---Tim Ashley, theguardian.com

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Magdalena Kozena – Handel – Italian Cantatas (2000)Cantatas

2009-10-23T15:10:57Z

Magdalena Kozena – Handel – Italian Cantatas (2000)


01. Sonata (Introduzione)
02. Recitativo "Da quel giorno fatale"
03. Aria "Un pensiero voli in ciel"
04. Recitativo "Ma fermati pensier"
05. Aria "Per te lasciai la luce"
06. Non ti bastava, ingrato
07. Aria "Lascia omai"Recitativo "Ma siamo"
08. Entree - Les Musiciens du Louvre, Marc Minkowski
09. Arietta e Recitativo "In queste amene piagge"
10. Recitativo "O Numi eterni"
11. Aria "Giù superbo del mio affanno"
12. Recitativo "Mai voi, forse nel cielo"
13. Aria "Il suol che preme"
14. Recitativo "Ah! che ancor"Furioso
15. Arioso "Alla salma infedel"
16. Recitativo "A voi, a voi padre"
17. Arioso "Già nel seno"Furioso
18. Aria "Tra le fiamme tu scherzi"Recitativo
19. Aria "Pien di nuove"Recitativo
20. Aria "Voli per l'aria"Recitativo

Magdalena Kožená - mezzo-soprano
Les Musiciens du Louvre - Grenoble
Marc Minkowski - conductor

Only a few years since emerging as a notable singer, mezzo-soprano Magdalena Kozená hasn't stopped enchanting her audience. It is, after all, a rare pleasure to experience this unique voice with its warm and elegant timbre. Some of its aspects are apparent in her preceding recital, an unusual--and unusually beautiful--program of Czech love songs. With this account of Handel's Italian Cantatas, Kozená confirms the immense scope of her gifts. Better yet, her voice is once more "affirmed": it seems fresher, conveying even more emotion. Marc Minkowski and his Musiciens du Louvre are hardly to be overlooked in this absolute success. They understand in their bones the kind of scarcely veiled energy that's fitting for the music of Handel. --Pierre Guillaume, amazon.com

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