Czech Songs Magdalena Kožená, Czech Philharmonic & Sir Simon Rattle

• Bohuslav Martinů (1890 - 1959): Nipponari, H. 68 "Japanese Folk Songs":
• 1 Martinů: Nipponari, H. 68 "Japanese Folk Songs": No. 1, Modrá hodina 01:57
• 2 Martinů: Nipponari, H. 68 "Japanese Folk Songs": No. 2, Stáří 04:01
• 3 Martinů: Nipponari, H. 68 "Japanese Folk Songs": No. 3, Vzpomínka 02:11
• 4 Martinů: Nipponari, H. 68 "Japanese Folk Songs": No. 4, Prosněný život 03:11
• 5 Martinů: Nipponari, H. 68 "Japanese Folk Songs": No. 5, Stopy ve sněhu 02:34
• 6 Martinů: Nipponari, H. 68 "Japanese Folk Songs": No. 6, Pohled nazpět 03:52
• 7 Martinů: Nipponari, H. 68 "Japanese Folk Songs": No. 7, U posvátného jezera 02:09
• Songs on One Page, H. 294:
• 8 Martinů: Songs on One Page, H. 294: No. 1, Rosička 01:02
• 9 Martinů: Songs on One Page, H. 294: No. 2, Otevření slovečkem 00:34
• 10 Martinů: Songs on One Page, H. 294: No. 3, Cesta k milé 01:39
• 11 Martinů: Songs on One Page, H. 294: No. 4, Chodníček 00:34
• 12 Martinů: Songs on One Page, H. 294: No. 5, U maměnky 01:24
• 13 Martinů: Songs on One Page, H. 294: No. 6, Sen Panny Marie 01:48
• 14 Martinů: Songs on One Page, H. 294: No. 7, Rozmarýn (Rosemary) 01:16
• Antonín Dvořák (1841 - 1904): Evening Songs, Op. 3:
• 15 Dvořák: Evening Songs, Op. 3: No. 7, Když jsem se díval do nebe 01:54
• 16 Dvořák: Evening Songs, Op. 3: No. 5, Umlklo stromů šumění 02:43
• 17 Dvořák: Evening Songs, Op. 3: No. 2, Mně zdálo se 04:30
• 18 Dvořák: Evening Songs, Op. 3: No. 3, Já jsem ten rytíř 01:55
• 19 Dvořák: Evening Songs, Op. 3: No. 4, Když Bůh byl nejvíc rozkochán 03:35
• Songs, Op. 2:
• 20 Dvořák: Songs, Op. 2: No. 2, Ó byl to krásný zlatý sen 02:45
• 21 Dvořák: Songs, Op. 2: No. 6, Mé srdce často v bolesti 03:34
• Hans Krása (1899 - 1944): Four Orchestral Songs, Op. 1:
• 22 Krása: Four Orchestral Songs, Op. 1: No. 1, Geiß und Schleiche 02:06
• 23 Krása: Four Orchestral Songs, Op. 1: No. 2, Nein! 01:50
• 24 Krása: Four Orchestral Songs, Op. 1: No. 3, Der Seufzer 02:37
• 25 Krása: Four Orchestral Songs, Op. 1: No. 4, Galgenbruders Lied an Sophie, die Henkersmaid 02:13
• Gideon Klein (1919 - 1945): Lullaby:
• 26 Klein: Lullaby 03:09
• Total Runtime 01:01:03

Info for Czech Songs

Magdalena Kožená presents a recital of Czech songs, together with the Czech Philharmonic under the baton of Sir Simon Rattle. The first impression of Czech songs may be atmospheric nature scenes, or stories about pretty peasant girls and village pranks, but the selection on this album demonstrates that the imagination of Czech song composers stretched far wider. For example, Bohuslav Martinů’s Nipponari were inspired by Japanese culture, whereas his folksy Songs on One Page obtain a deeper meaning knowing that he wrote them in the US, having fled the Nazi threat. His colleagues and contemporaries Hans Krása and Gideon Klein did not manage to get away, and both died in concentration camps. Krása’s German-language Four Orchestral Songs show a fascination with nonsense verse typical of avant-garde circles in the early 1920s. Klein’s Lullaby can be traced back to Jewish folk songs, yet its musical realization displays an openness to French musical styles. And no Czech song recital would be complete without good old Antonín Dvořák, whose Evening Songs and Songs, Op. 2 are included. Many of these works are best known with piano accompaniment, but are presented here in orchestrations. The Czech Philharmonic and Sir Simon Rattle marvellously bring out all the colours, while Kožená once more showcases her mastery in vernacular song.

Czech Songs is star mezzo-soprano Magdalena Kožená’s sixth album as part of her exclusive collaboration with Pentatone, after having presented the baroque cantatas recital album Il giardino dei sospiri and the songs in chamber-musical setting project Soirée in 2019, as well as Nostalgia together with Yefim Bronfman in 2021 and the title role of Handel’s Alcina together with Marc Minkowski and Les Musiciens du Louvre in 2024. The current album was preceded by Folk Songs (2023), on which she also joined forces with the Czech Philharmonic and Sir Simon Rattle. Rattle conducts the world’s greatest orchestras and, since 2019 has returned annually to conduct the Czech Philharmonic, of which he will become Principal Guest Conductor as of the 24/25 season. He made his recording debut as pianist on Pentatone alongside Magdalena Kožená on Soirée (2019). In 2022-23 Rattle and Magdalena Kožená were the Czech Philharmonic Artists in Residence. The Czech Philharmonic is one of the world’s orchestral gems, recognised for its rich tradition with the Czech masters as well as European repertoire. Since 2022, the orchestra has released Mahler’s Fourth, Fifth, Second and First Symphony on Pentatone as part of a complete Mahler cycle to appear on the label.

Magdalena Kozena, Mezzosopran
Czech Philharmonic Orchestra
Simon Rattle, conductor

Magdalena Kožená
Born in the Czech city of Brno, Magdalena Kožená studied voice and piano at the Brno Conservatory and at Bratislava’s Academy of Performing Arts.

Magdalena signed as an exclusive artist with Deutsche Grammophon in 1999 and has since been awarded multiple prizes for her albums including Gramophone’s Solo Vocal Award, Gramophone’s Artist of the Year, Echo Klassik, Record Academy Prize Tokyo, and Diapason d’or. In 2017, Magdalena forged a long-term relationship with Dutch label Pentatone and her 3 recordings include ‘Il Giardino dei sospiri’ with harpsichordist Václav Luks and Collegium 1704, an intimate chamber music album ‘Soirée’, and her most recent release, ‘Nostalgia’ with pianist Yefim Bronfman.

During her illustrious career, Magdalena has worked with the world’s leading conductors, including Claudio Abbado, Pierre Boulez, Gustavo Dudamel, Bernard Haitink, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Mariss Jansons, Sir Charles Mackerras, Sir Simon Rattle or Sir Roger Norrington. Her list of distinguished recital partners includes the pianists Daniel Barenboim, Malcolm Martineau, András Schiff and Mitsuko Uchida, with whom she has performed at such prestigious venues as Carnegie Hall, Wigmore Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, and at the Aldeburgh, Edinburgh and Salzburg festivals. Magdalena’s understanding of historical performance practices has been cultivated in collaboration with outstanding period- instrument ensembles, including the Venice Baroque Orchestra, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Il Giardino Armonico, Les Musiciens du Louvre, La Cetra Barockorchester Basel, and Le Concert d’Astrée. She is also in demand as soloist with the Berlin, Vienna and Czech Philharmonics, the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Chamber Orchestra of Europe and the Cleveland, Philadelphia and Royal Concertgebouw Orchestras.

Magdalena’s 2023/24 season combines her love of artsong, opera and concerts with diverse projects taking her across the globe. Magdalena begins her season with recitals with Ohad Ben-Ari and Mitsuko Uchida at the Muziekgebouw Amsterdam, BOZAR Brussels, Wigmore Hall, Philharmonie Luxembourg and the Pierre Boulezsaal Berlin. In concert she rejoins Les Musiciens du Louvre for concert performances of Alcina (title role) and collaborates with La Cetra Barockorchester in performances at Carnegie Hall and across Europe and South America. Magdalena reprises the role of Anna in Kurt Weill’s Seven Deadly Sins with the Staatskapelle Berlin and looks forward to a major concert tour with Chamber Orchestra of Europe.

On the opera stage, Magdalena returns to the Deutsche Staatsoper Berlin for the title role in Charpentier’s Medée, revisits the role of Idamante Idomeneo with Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks and returns to Salzburg’s Mozartwoche for Sesto La Clemenza di Tito.

Magdalena was appointed a Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French government in 2003 for her services to French music.

Booklet for Czech Songs