Search - Antonin Dvorak, Bohuslav Martinu, Leos Janacek :: Magdalena Kozená - Love Songs (Dvorak, Janacek, Martinu)

Nice voice, fascinating repertoire

opernnarr | Carrboro, NC USA | 08/13/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"One can only welcome a disc of little-heard Czech songs sung in the original language (not the more frequently encountered German) by a native speaker. And on DG! All hope is not lost. This is beautiful, often touching music that relies heavily on folk melodies. Czech composers preserve the rhythms of their spoken language in their music; it lends Czech song an immediate, unmistakeable sound that you'll recognize from the first track. The neglected Dvorak "Love Songs" are elegantly passionate. I also particularly liked the unusual Martinu selections. His are refereshingly direct and brief songs, often structured on a single melodic idea, and they keep your attention. This disc (along with others, particularly a recent Dvorak song disc by Eva Urbanova and some older recordings by Lucia Popp) should awaken any song lover's interest in the Czech tradition.I have reservations, however, about the singer. Her voice is accomplished enough on its own terms: bright, tight vibrato, forwardly placed, and pretty in a pale sort of way. But's she's awfully young (27) and the voice has not matured enough to sustain interest over some 70 minutes of music. It is small in scale and lacks low notes and a strong middle voice, although her upper register is beautiful. Most damagingly, her voice's colors haven't developed, resulting in a tonal monotony that is not the music's fault. Neither has she matured as an interpreter. She sings all forty-two of these songs with more or less the same emotional face: youthful eagerness. The song texts suggest that a more varied set of responses is in order. I also wonder if this voice is best described as a mezzo; she actually sounds uncannily like Lucia Popp. Johnson is excellent, although it's hard to notice since the piano is distressingly recessed. Perhaps the disc is better heard in twenty-minute sessions than in one long sitting. I would recommend this disc for the repertoire and for a chance to year a nice young voice. But find Urbanova and Popp in this repertoire to hear sounds that bring the full palette of colors this repertoire to vivid life."

A stunning burst onto the world stage

Mr. Matthew J. Williams | Sydney, NSW Australia | 12/17/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Magdalena Kozena is suddenly known around the world, thanks to this stunning disc of 42 lieder from her Czech homeland. Most of the songs are short - some come in under a minute, the longest 3-4 minutes. Each is a little gem and many have never been recorded before.



Kozena's voice is sheer delight. She does have resonances in her voice which are reminiscent of her compatriot, Lucia Popp, but is certainly a mezzo - although she has chosen her repertoire well so we hear no strain at the top. Her low resonances are delightful and consistent with her head voice. To compare Kozena's voice to that of the late diva (Popp), it is more pure, more consistent in tone from top to bottom, and doesn't have so much of the `squeezey' quality which Popp used to great effect in evincing the passion of her characters. Kozena can empty her voice of vibrato or let it out rich and full, and uses all her vocal resources to great effect in contrasting the individual songs. She has astoundingly mature lieder-singer's technique for such a young singer.



This recording rightly won a Gramophone award this year. Kozena deserves all the accolades she receives for this - doubtless all listeners will develop their own favourites from these delightful miniatures."

A Beautiful Disc

Grady Harp | 01/06/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is simply a magnificent recording. I like it better every time I put it on. The voice is fresh, supple, and expressive. I even find myself trying to learn some of the Czech words (from the translation in the booklet) they sound so nice. Both Kozena and the brilliant piano contributions by Graham Johnson are faithfully caught on the recording. There is enough variety and contrast that one doesn't tire in the least (over the generous 67 minutes of playing time) of hearing these playful, sometimes poignant, songs. One of the best discs, in terms of programming, performance, and sound quality, of the past couple of years."