Musica Antiqua Köln

The Art of Magdalena Kožená is an anthology of her finest performances, documenting both the range of her voice and the breadth of repertoire to which she can bring authority, from early baroque of Monteverdi and Strozzi to sacred arias by Bach, opera arias by Handel, Vivaldi, Mozart, Gounod, Bizet and Auber, as well as orchestral songs by Mahler. To all she brings an absorbing emotional depth and maturity of her interpretative abilities.

Unique to Kožená are the songs rooted in Bohemia and Moravia by Dvořak and Janáček. She still feels closely connected to her Czech roots. “It’s music that stays in your body forever”.

This is Magdalena’s own selection of her favourite songs and arias, sung in French, Italian and German as well as in her mother tongue.

28-page Booklet, including new liner notes from Nick Kimberley.

"The playing is vital, clean, and so full of evident enjoyment as to be irresistible. This is an absolute winner of a record" Lionel Salter, Gramophone, May 1979 (Leclair)

"The pleasure of the music is enhanced by the playing, which is not only efficient but imaginative. [...] There is no doubt that the Cologne Musica Antiqua are determined to project the music's emotional power. They are clearly virtuoso players, with concern for balance, for lively rhythms and sweet tone. We must hope to hear more from them. The recording is excellent." Denis Arnold, Gramophone, March 1979 (Parnasse)

"French consort music - as opposed to solo keyboard and vocal works - has been all but eclipsed by that of the Germans and Italians. From the evidence of this disc, the reasons for its neglect cannot be laid at the feet of these able composers. [...] Reinhard Goebel's ensemble obviously has an affinity for these works" Classics, January 1993

"This programme is superbly well put together by a brilliant ensemble of young artists. [...] They achieve a crystalline clarity of texture in all this music that is really quite astonishing, and the music itself is of quite exceptional interest" Records and Recording, March 1979

This is the last recording by Musica Antiqua Köln and represents a repertoire discovery at the same time: “All attentive listeners with a sense of music history will prick up their ears at this recording, for Johann Friedrich Meister is a real genius.” Reinhard Goebel. The release of this 2004 WDR recording brings the “MAK” discography to a spectacular close.

Recording made in 1994.

In short, these are authoritative and commanding performances of bold if at times quirky music that no enthusiastic connoisseur of the period can afford to miss. Outstanding’ Gramophone reviewing the original release in December 1994.

Booklet essay by Reinhard Goebel.

When no less a composer than Tartini feels threatened by the virtuosity and huge personality of a colleague, then you know that the person in question must have been a considerable musical talent and presence.

Francesco Maria Veracini was the composer in question. Born in 1690, his life was one of travel, huge successes, bitter disappointments, violent quarrels, and an attempt at suicide (which left him crippled) after a row with the German composer Pisendel, who harboured some unpleasant anti Italian views. He died in 1768. The six Overtures date from 1716 and they rank as some of the most extraordinary works for orchestra of the Venetian school. At the time of their composition, Veracini was working as the court composer and violinist in Dresden – it was this position that he left after the row with Pisendel and his cohorts. Frustrated at the time that many found his music to modern and difficult, he had had a rough time during a visit to London as he was unable to compete with Handel’s monopoly of opera in the city, and Geminiani’s domination of instrumental music. Feeling discouraged and somewhat bitter, he returned to Florence and remained there until his death. His music takes the baroque sonata to the limit, and goes some way to laying the foundation of the coming classical style. These Overtures can be considered as the ultimate in baroque orchestral writing in their inventiveness, richness of scoring and contrapuntal and polyphonic dexterity. ‘by travelling all over Europe he formed a style of playing peculiar to himself’ Charles Burney on Veracini.

Jean Gilles, born in Avignon in 1668, enrolled in the cathedral school in Aix-en-Provence. Under the tutelage of Guillaume Poitevin, who nurtured his unmistakable talents, he was introduced to the composer André Campra, eight years his senior. It is Campra who would play such an important part in the survival of his younger colleague’s Requiem by taking it to Paris and performing at the Concert Spirituel. In 1697, Gilles was appointed as master of music at the cathedral of Toulouse and seemed set for a successful career. Tragically, though, the ill health which had dogged him since childhood claimed him at the age of 37 in 1705.