In recent appearances with the Czech Philharmonic, superstar mezzo Magdalena Kožená has brought a cosmopolitan flair to her repertoire. During their residency in the 2022-23 season, she and Sir Simon Rattle, her husband and frequent performing partner, complemented Czech songs with lesser-known vocal pieces by Ravel, Bartók and Terezín composers Hans Krása and Gideon Klein. For her first appearance this season, Kožená returned to one of her first loves, Baroque opera, with Early Music specialist Giovanni Antonini on the podium. Though a bit ragged around the edges, it was an impassioned and revealing performance.
The program cast Kožená in four demanding roles – the angry Princess Argene in Mysliveček’s L’Olimpiade, a conflicted Donna Elvira in Mozart’s Don Giovanni, the suffering Princess Ilia in Idomeneo and the delirious Berenice in Haydn’s short dramatic cantata Berenice, che fai. She threw herself into all of them, picking up fervor and depth as the evening progressed.
Kožená’s normally round tones took on a sharp edge as Argene, ideal for the character though a bit short technically, occasionally subsumed by the orchestra and less than agile in the coloratura passages. She seemed more comfortable – or maybe just warmed up – with the Mozart arias, delivered in a full, rich voice with impressive range. The anguish of Princess Ilia was so palpable that even the orchestra members applauded. And Berenice seemed like a part written for her, a powerful lament sung with a riveting combination of darkness and luster.
The opera excerpts showed the Prague audience another side of Kožená, showcasing a voice that remains strong and glowing with the added emotional charge of characters in crisis. While the songs have been satisfying, the more complex opera roles gave her a chance to open up her interpretation, digging into characterization and bringing raging emotions to life. Sung with conviction, this small sampling left a taste for more.
Both Kožená and Antonini are skilled in period performances, so it was a bit surprising that this one was thoroughly modern, a robust take on archaic forms. There was nothing formal or restrained about Antonini’s work on the podium, where he led an animated, freewheeling style of Baroque bordering on boisterous. The sound was layered and expansive, in particular the Mozart, which seemed turbo-charged in the Don Giovanni recitative and aria, ready to burst wide open. None of which detracted from Antonini’s expertise as an accompanist. The only thing singers need to worry about with him is the orchestra being more colorful than their voice, which occurred several times in this performance.
The hallmark of Antonini’s unique language is a graceful touch with the strings, which have a distinctly Viennese sound, a lush realization of the First School. This put a fine gloss on Beethoven’s Symphony no. 6 in F major, “Pastoral” in the second half of the concert, which was otherwise disappointing. Oddly, the formality Antonini eschewed in the Baroque pieces came to the fore in this one, lending a stiff feel to what should be a festive outing that flows and blossoms into its namesake pastoral setting. Antonini may be a genius at painting with sound, but the mechanical framework and a lack of detail, especially in the fourth movement, robbed the symphony of much of its character, making it a pleasant glide rather than an insightful reading.
Still, as a spirited invocation of the classic Viennese sound, the evening had its charms. And effervescent strings will carry just about anything.
