Magdalena Kožená, one of the most acclaimed recitalists of today, presents a personal collection of songs she has known since childhood and that form some of her earliest musical influences.
A haunting collection of songs by Czech composers such as Dvorák, Janácek, Martinu, Schulhoff and Eben, all deeply rooted in the rich Czech folk song tradition.
Like Magdalena explains in the press/booklettext about the songs on the album: “They are just the sort a mother would sing to her baby. My mother is not a professional singer, but she loved to sing and knew a lot of songs! There is a particular tradition of singing to children in our country, much stronger, I would say, than one sees any more in the West. It was really important that in each family these songs would be handed down, taught to the children.”
Kožená’s musical partners on the album include her long-standing recital partner Malcolm Martineau, and soprano Dorothea Röschmann, who joins her in Dvorák’s Moravian duets. This is Magdalena Kožená’s most personal album so far, exploring the richness of her cultural background and her own musical memories.
Awards Issue 2008
“Singing in a language she really did learn from her mother, Kožená sounds at her most relaxed… She also suggests a fierce connection with these songs, abandoning herself into music that showcases well her glinting top and dusky lower notes.”
Charlotte Gardner
28th November 2008
“it isn't just an atmospheric title; there are indeed songs that Kozena's mother sang to her as a child, plus others she heard in her village...Kozena, whilst her performances are always memorable, is lifted to an entirely different plateau with these songs in her home tongue and all the emotional resonance they hold for her.”
November 2008
“Beautifully recorded and accompanied, this is not just a showpiece for an exceptional voice, but a fascinating conspectus of Czech song, with a Moravian twist.”
Click on any of the works listed above for alternative recordings.
