A "magnificent, spellbinding timbre," "intelligent musicianship," "natural authority," "unprecedented powers of stylistic metamorphosis": thus the international press writing about Magdalena Kožená, the Czech mezzo-soprano from Brno who has been creating a sensation in the world's musical venues for the last ten years – and who will be the Lucerne's artiste étoile in summer 2009. The secret of her art does not reside in the limpid euphony of her voice (although it is hard to imagine a more beautiful voice in our day and age), but in the quest for truth that informs her interpretations. "Taken by itself, beauty will make an impression for no more than ten minutes, after which it evaporates and gets boring," Magdalena Kožená explains. "The point is what an artist wants to tell us. It all hinges on whether the expression is credible, not on the brief kick of warbling 'ear candy.'"
 Early music, Mozart, and the French repertoire are among the main points of emphasis in her artistic work. She wisely restricts the number of her appearances and turns down offers that might take her beyond her natural limits: "I'm a high mezzo-soprano and definitely not a dramatic Wagner singer. French music is especially to my liking, above all the colors of the French language. Simply put, I like to paint with the voice, to convey feelings by means of vocal hues."
 Magdalena Kožená will present this facet of her art in orchestral songs by Henri Duparc, which she will sing with the Concertgebouw Orchestra under Mariss Jansons. But she is no less at home with Gustav Mahler, as her renditions of the Rückert Songs and the Fourth Symphony with Claudio Abbado and the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA will attest. At the very opening of the festival she will introduce herself with a song recital, accompanied by the noted pianist Mitsuko Uchida. Nor will she neglect musica antiqua, singing early music with the Private Musicke lute consort.

Click here for a detailed biography of Magdalena Kožená.