Magdalena KoženáKožená and the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Sir Simon Rattle - Czech Songs - Music Box, July 1^st, 2024

An album released on June 7, 2024 by Pentatone: Czech Songs, featuring mezzo soprano Magdalena Koženáž and the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Simon Rattle.

Clearly, an album featuring the star voice of the Czech Republic, accompanied by the very high quality Czech Philharmonic Orchestra and conducted by another star, former Berlin Philharmonic Chief Conductor Simon Rattle, who is married to Magdalena Kozena, could only arouse great interest. Magdalena Kozena, now on her sixth album for Pentatone, and among the previous ones we find other popular songs, recorded in 2023 with the same orchestra and conductor, as well as a surprise album where she sings with Simon Rattle as pianist.

On the album released on June 7^th 2024, we can find songs for voice and orchestra by Bohuslav Martinu, Antonin Dvorak, Hans Krasa and Gideon Klein - a special repertoire, barely known, but clearly familiar to the Czech mezzo soprano. An article, from the Times, on June 6^th, gives more detailes: "Kozena sings with a mature voice having a rounded tone and with an expression's depth which is so beautiful to listen to. And the musicians' accompaniment conducted by Rattle is always delicate and idiomatic. The music is always astonishing, especially the Nipponari cycle by Bohuslav Martinu, written in 1912 which is a work of a gentle fantasy."