Magdalena Kožená – Vivaldi / Venice Baroque Orchestra, Andrea Marcon / Archiv Produktion Audio CD 2009 

UPC: 028947780960 

Label: Archiv Produktion – 477 8096 

Format: Audio CD, Album, Stereo 

Country: Europe 

Released: 2009 

Genre: Classical 

Style: Baroque, Opera

Overview

The celebrated Czech mezzo-soprano Magdalena Kožená brings her radiant artistry to the world of Antonio Vivaldi’s operas in this acclaimed release from Archiv Produktion. Accompanied by the Venice Baroque Orchestra under Andrea Marcon, Kožená explores the expressive range of Vivaldi’s rarely performed operatic arias — from the heroic to the deeply introspective, the tender to the fiery.

The album showcases Vivaldi’s dramatic genius through fourteen arias drawn from Juditha Triumphans, Orlando Furioso, Il Farnace, and other masterworks, revealing the composer’s mastery of vocal color, emotional immediacy, and virtuosic writing for the mezzo voice.

With authentic Baroque instrumentation, richly detailed sound, and Kožená’s signature combination of technical brilliance and emotional honesty, this recording stands as one of the most compelling modern interpretations of Vivaldi’s operatic world.

Featured Performers

• Magdalena Kožená – mezzo-soprano
• Venice Baroque Orchestra
• Conductor: Andrea Marcon

Selected Instrumentalists

• Flute (Transverse): Michele Favaro
• Recorder: Anna Fusek
• Lute: Ivano Zanenghi
• Harpsichord: Giorgio Paronuzzi
• Horn: Gianfranco Dini
• Viola da gamba: Francesco Galligioni

Track Listing

1. Tito Manlio, RV 738 (1719), Act 3 – "Sonno, Se Pur Sei Sonno" – 2:54
2. Juditha Triumphans, RV 644 (1716), Pars Altera – "Armatae Face Et Anguibus" – 3:22
3. La Verità In Cimento, RV 739 (1720), Act 1 – "Solo Quella Guancia Bella" – 2:58
4. Il Farnace, RV 711 (1727), Act 2 – "Gelido In Ogni Vena" – 9:23
5. Arsilda, Regina Di Ponto, RV 700 (1716), Act 3 – "Tornar Voglio Al Primo Ardore" – 4:14

6. Orlando Furioso, RV 728 (1727), Act 1 – "Sol Da Te, Mio Dolce Amore" – 9:31

   Ottone In Villa, RV 729 (1713), Act 2 – "Misero Spirto Mio" – 4:35
   • Flute: Michele Favaro
8. Orlando Furioso, RV 728 (1727), Act 1 – "Nel Profondo Cieco Mondo" – 4:08
9. Il Farnace, RV 711 (1727), Act 3 – "Forse, O Caro, In Questi Accenti" – 7:22

10. La Verità In Cimento, RV 739 (1720), Act 3 – "Cara Sorte Di Chi Nata" – 4:26

    Griselda, RV 718 (1735), Act 1 – "Ho Il Cor Già Lacero" – 4:31
    • Recorder: Anna Fusek
12. L’Incoronazione Di Dario, RV 719 (1717), Act 2 – "Non Mi Lusinga Vana Speranza" – 5:51
13. L’Orlando Finto Pazzo, RV 727 (1714), Act 3 – "Lo Stridor, L’Orror D’Averno" – 4:13
14. L’Orlando Finto Pazzo, RV 727 (1714), Act 3 – "Anderò, Volerò, Griderò" – 1:55

15. L’Olimpiade, RV 725 (1734), Act 1 – "Mentre Dormi, Amor Formenti" – 7:56

    • Horn: Gianfranco Dini

Production Credits

• Conductor: Andrea Marcon
• Producer: Arend Prohmann
• Executive Producers: Alexander Buhr, Marita Prohmann
• Engineer (Recording/Tonmeister): Ulrich Vette
• Assistant Engineer: Bastian Schick
• Language Coach: Paolo Zedda
• Project Coordination: Burkhard Bartsch
• Harpsichord Technician: Francesco Zanotto
• Editing and Musical Preparation: Alessandra Di Vincenzo, Andrea Marcon
• Photography: Mathias Bothor (Kožená), Harald Hoffmann (Marcon)
• Graphic Design: Archiv Produktion, Merle Kersten (Art Direction)
• Booklet Editors: Eva Zöllner, Texthouse
• Liner Notes: Kenneth Chalmers, Lindsay Kemp

Musical & Interpretive Notes

Kožená approaches Vivaldi’s heroines with dramatic intensity and subtle emotional insight, illuminating the human dimensions beneath the Baroque ornamentation. Her performance of Gelido in ogni vena (Il Farnace)—a lament of icy despair—is especially haunting, while Armatae face et anguibus from Juditha Triumphans bursts with fearless energy.

Under Marcon’s baton, the Venice Baroque Orchestra provides sparkling precision, supple phrasing, and stylistic authenticity, recreating the vivid theatricality of 18th-century Venice. The recording balances historical performance practice with modern sonic clarity, making it a reference for both scholars and lovers of Baroque vocal music.

Highlights

• Authentic Baroque performance using period instruments
• World-class collaboration between Kožená and Marcon
• Selections from 10 Vivaldi operas, offering a rare panorama of the composer’s vocal genius
• Richly annotated booklet with translations and essays by leading musicologists
• Superb sound quality from Archiv Produktion, preserving both warmth and precision

Critical Reception

Praised by critics for its vocal beauty, stylistic fidelity, and emotional range, Magdalena Kožená – Vivaldi stands as one of the finest Baroque recital albums of the 2000s. Reviewers have highlighted Kožená’s “fluid phrasing, expressive ornamentation, and theatrical command” (Gramophone), noting that this recording helped revive interest in Vivaldi’s operatic catalog.

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