On this recording Czech mezzo-soprano Magdalena Kožená returns to the baroque repertoire that launched her early career.
“Il giardino dei sospiri” is a collection of scenes from secular cantatas on tragic love, ranging from Handel’s Qual ti riveggio to new editions of works by Leo (Angelica e Medoro), Marcello (Arianna abbandonata) and Gasparini (Atalia).
These vocal works are connected through instrumental pieces by Handel (sinfonia of Agrippina), Vinci (sinfonia from Maria dolorata) and Sarro.
Initially created as a scenic project, Il giardino dei sospiri offers a rich drama for the voice. Kožená interprets the tragic heroines of these love stories as accompanied by Václav Luks and Collegium 1704.
Here is Ms. Kožená in songs by Dvorak:
