Magdalena Kožená was born in the Czech city of Brno and studied voice and piano at the Brno Conservatory and later with Eva Bláhová at Bratislava's Academy of Performing Arts. She has been awarded several major prizes both in the Czech Republic and internationally, culminating in the Sixth International Mozart Competition in Salzburg in 1995.

 

 

Founded in 1999 La Cetra Barockorchester Basel is recognized today as one of the world's leading early music ensembles. The name La Cetra refers to the ancient lyre or zither and is drawn from the title of Antonio Vivaldi's collection of 12 violin concertos op. 9 first published in Amsterdam in 1727.

 

Conductor: Andrea Marcon
Mezzo-soprano: Magdalena Kožená
La Cetra Barockorchester Basel

 

Marco Uccellini (1610-1680): "Aria quinta sopra La Bergamasca, a tre", from Sonate, arie et correnti Op.3 (1642) 4’
Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643): "Si dolce è il tormento", from Quarto scherzo delle ariose vaghezze (1624) 4’
(Mezzo-soprano: Magdalena Kožená)
Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643): "Disprezzata Regina", from L'incoronazione di Poppea, (1642) 5’
(Mezzo-soprano: Magdalena Kožená)
Tarquinio Merula(1594-1665): "Folle è ben che si crede", from Curtio precipitato et altri capricii, Op.13 No.6 (1638) 5’
Dario Castello (1590-1658): Sonata XV a Quattro, from Sonate concertate in stil moderno, libro second (1629) 5’
Luciano Berio(1925-2003): Sequenza III, for female voice (1965) 8’
(Mezzo-soprano: Magdalena Kožená)
Marko Ivanović (1976-): Claudio Monteverdi: Arianna has a problem (2016) 8’
(Mezzo-soprano: Magdalena Kožená)

- Intermission -

Biagio Marini (1594-1663): Passacaglio a quattro, from Per ogni sorte di strumento, Op.22 (1655) 6’
Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643): "Il Combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda" from Madrigali guerrieri ed amorosi (1638) 25’
(Mezzo-soprano: Magdalena Kožená)