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It would seem almost pointless to describe Magdalena Kožená’s mature interpretational mastery of Monteverdi’s arias from the opera L’incoronazione di Poppea (especially the Farewell Rome scene), her convincing vocal and expressional sense for all the characteristic elements, the dominant seams of early baroque music and all its transformations and affectations. Nevertheless, she managed to crown the evening even further with the extensive scene from Il combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda …The singer actually performed (and differentiated) all three roles with verve and invention under Havelka’s direction; this means that she performed both adversaries and the narrator, including with theatrical costumes and props. Hats off!!
© Petr Veber
