Magdalena Kožená (mezzo-soprano)
Folk Songs
Czech Philharmonic/Sir Simon Rattle
rec. 2020-23, Dvořák Hall, Rudolfinum, Prague
Sung texts with English translations enclosed.
Reviewed as download from press preview
Pentatone PTC5187075 [52]
Magdalena Kožená’s contract with the label Pentatone has already yielded some really engaging CD releases, chief among them the utterly delightful Soirée (review). Now another winner has come along to add to one’s shelves with the release of Folk Songs. Ms Kožená was inspired by reminiscences of her youth in Moravia when her mother used to sing folk songs, which still are very much a part of local traditions. She does not include any Moravian songs on this album, which leads to wondering if another album of her own regional songs may be in the offing in the future.
The recital begins with Bartok’s Five Hungarian Folk Songs. The opening song, A tömlöcben / In Prison, has a sparse orchestral setting which evokes the bleakness of the concrete cells, with the final chord reminiscent of the jailor’s keys jangling. On the other hand, the second song in the cycle, about a pony harness jingling, is all exuberance. Bartok slices through a gamut of emotions and experiences in this cycle and Kožená’s voice glows with autumn hues as she makes her way through these little gems.
I’ve not heard the Berio song cycle in many years, primarily because it will be forever associated with Cathy Berberian, his wife for whom he composed them. She is a singer whose voice I have never quite warmed to. In these songs, Kožená makes them sound newly minted through the combination of her multi-hued voice and some charmingly accented English (in those songs with English texts). Some songs can be quite exuberant, chiefly the Sicilian song a la femminisca (the 5th song in the cycle) which occasionally requires Kožená to put a great deal of pressure on her lower voice which is not the strongest area of her instrument.
Ravel’s Cinq Mélodies populaires grecques bring out an absolutely enchanting performance from Kožená. She and her husband, Simon Rattle, weave a unique musical spell in this oft-performed work. While Kožená’s take on them is quite memorable, I cannot quite forget the haunting mystery that Frederica von Stade brought to these particular songs.
The last cycle is one that will always be associated with Victoria de los Ángeles, who helped to make them known around the world: Montsalvage’s 5 Canciones negras. Kožená brings a more pithy charm to these wonderful songs, perhaps because her tone doesn’t develop the wispiness that was simultaneously de los Ángeles’ unique attribute, and her Achilles heel. For the most popular song, Canción de cuna para dormir a un negrito, Kožená paints a fascinating sound picture with her gently oscillating vocal timbre, although Rattle and the Czech Philharmonic take this at the slowest pace I have ever encountered. It could easily have fallen apart, but it doesn’t. With beautifully engineered sound and a varied program, this is one the most satisfying and enjoyable recitals by Magdalena Kožená that I have yet experienced.
Previous review by Göran Forsling (review)
Mike Parr
Help us financially by purchasing from
Contents
Béla Bartók (1881-1945)
5 Hungarian Folk Songs, BB 108, Sz. 101 (1929)
1 No. 1, A tömlöcben (In Prison)
2 No. 2, Régi keserves (Old Lament)
3 No. 3, Sárga csikó, csengö rajta (Yellow Pony, Harness Jingling)
4 No. 4, Panasz (Complaint)
5 No. 5, Virágéknál ég a világ (Virág’s lamps are burning brightly)
Luciano Berio (1925-2003)
Folk Songs (1964)
6 No. 1, Black Is the Colour
7 No. 2, I Wonder as I wander
8 No. 3, Loosin yelav
9 No. 4, Rossignolet du bois
10 No. 5 a la femminisca
11 No. 6, La donna ideale
12 No. 7, Ballo
13 No. 8, Motettu de Tristura
14 No. 9, Malurous qu’o uno fenno
15 No. 10, Lo fiolairé
16 No. 11, Azerbaijan Love Song
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)
5 Mélodies populaires grecques (1904-1906)
17 No. 1, Chanson de la mariée
18 No. 2, Là-bas, vers l’eglise
19 No. 3, Quel galant m’est comparable
20 No. 4, Chanson des cueilleuses de lentisques
21 No. 5, Tout gai!
Xavier Montsalvatge (1912-2002)
5 Canciones negras (1945)
22 No. 1, Cuba dentro de un piano
23 No. 2, Punto de Habanera
24 No. 3, Chévere
25 No. 4, Canción de cuna para dormir a un negrito
26 No. 5, Canto negro
