MAGDALENA KOZENA COLE PORTER

The world-famous mezzo-soprano Magdalena Kožená decided to leave the world of classical music behind for a while and embarked on a gentle flirtation with the ‘light muses’. She chose a truly soulful and immensely witty author for her excursion into the world of classical American musical – Cole Porter. She sings here his renowned, jazz-inspired hits with the accompaniment of Ondrej Havelka and His Melody Makers, an orchestra which ranks among the world’s leaders in authentic interpretation of jazz, swing and dance music of the 1930s and 1940s. “I fell in love with Cole Porter’s songs and the music of that period during the years when I was a student. I am a great admirer of Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Peggy Lee and other jazz legends. Their recordings are still amongst my favorites. I did not dare take on this repertoire for a long time, however, because I am of the opinion that each artist should stick to his or her own style. However, I was inspired by listening to the songs of Cole Porter performed by Frederica von Stade, whom I admire greatly. Without in any way endeavoring to alter her singing style, she gave Porter’s songs great charm and brought them into a different, interesting dimension. So, I decided that I would try and present my own take on these timeless melodies to audiences.” (Magdalena Kožená)