A Handel aria recital from the Czech mezzo-cum-soprano . . . was always a recording waiting to happen . . . she opens with a spellbinding account of the bereft Alcina´s monologue, ´Ah! mio cor´, by turns desolate, accusatory and self-lacerating. It is Kozená´s way to dramatise rather than merely sing beautifully. The two "mad scenes" here -- from Orlando and Hercules -- have a pathological intensity . . . Her shocking portrayal of a once noble heroine in extremis hit me in the solar plexus . . . Kozená is magnificent here, throwing off reams of coloratura with imperious ease as she gleefully summons the infernal spirits. Elsewhere Kozená conveys an almost masochistic death-longing, punctuated by stabs of bitterness, in Ariodante´s "Scherza infida", sometimes risking a harsh, hollow tone for the sake of dramatic truth. Sesto´s "Cara speme" (Giulio Cesare) moves from tenderness to intense agitation; and there is passion and protest, as well as pathos, in Theodora´s sublime prison scene. At the other end of the spectrum, Kozená harnesses the bright soprano glitter in her voice for a wonderfully blithe, dancing "O had I Jubal´s Lyre" from Joshua. In sum, a feast of Handel singing, with the Venetian players matching Kozená all the way in spirit and colouristic flair. Record Review / Richard Wigmore, Daily Telegraph (London) / 17 November 2007

Richard Wigmore, Daily Telegraph (London) / 17 November 2007