Performer: Kateřina Kněžíková
Orchestra: Janáček Philharmonic Ostrava
Conductor: Robert Jindra
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: Supraphon
Release: 2021
Size: 1.01 GB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes
Martinů: Kouzelné noci
01. Magic Nights: In a Foreign Land. Adagio
02. Magic Nights: Untouched by Spring. Adagio lugubre
03. Magic Nights: The Mysterious Flute. Andante sostenuto
04. Duparc: L’invitation au voyage
05. Duparc: La vie antérieure
06. Duparc: Phidylé
07. Duparc: Chanson triste
Ravel: Cinq mélodies populaires grecques
08. No. 1, Chanson de la mariée. Modéré
09. No. 2, La-bas, vers l’église. Andante
10. 3, Quel galant m’est comparable. Allegro
11. 4, Chanson des cueilleuses de lentisques. Lento
12. No. 5, Tout gai! Allegro
Ravel: Shéhérazade
13. Asie
14. La Flute enchantée
15. L´Indifférent
16. Szymanowski: Penthesilea, Op. 18
Kateřina Kněžíková’s lyric coloratura soprano has delighted audiences in numerous music centres worldwide, both at opera houses and concert venues. She has appeared with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the Bamberger Symphoniker, Camerata Salzburg, the Czech Philharmonic, the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, etc. under the baton of conductors of such renown as J. Bělohlávek, S. Baudo, M. Honeck, J. Hrůša, T. Netopil and R. Ticciati. The highlights of her career include the invitation to portray the title role in Janáček’s opera Katya Kabanova in Glyndebourne.
Kateřina Kněžíková’s debut Supraphon solo album features enchanting fin de siecle songs, “… songs that are particularly close to my heart and voice, all of them dating from the turn of the 20th century, all of them tinged with Impressionism,” as the singer herself put it. The first of them is Bohuslav Martinů’s Magic Nights, set to Chinese poetry. Henri Duparc’s songs, one of which, depicting Phylidé, a simple and pious country girl, has given the album its title, may come as a revelation to many a listener. All the songs chosen here reflect a penchant for the exotic, foregrounding connection with Nature and intuition. Conducted by Robert Jindra, the Janáček Philharmonic Ostrava has created a splendidly colourful backdrop for Kateřina Kněžíková’s soprano to embellish.