A recital with Mezzo-soprano Magdalena Kozena April 21, 2009

Czech mezzo-soprano Magdalena Kozena brings a program of works by Purcell, Schumann, Duparc and Berg, presented by San Francisco Performances. Her accompanist will be fellow Czech artist Karel Kosarek.

Kozena has appeared all over the world in recital and in concert, and was first presented by San Francisco Performances in 2004, the same year she was named Gramophone Artist of the Year. Her opera repertoire ranges from Octavian in "Der Rosenkavalier" for the Deutsche Staatsoper Berlin; Gluck's "Orphee" in Paris; "Pelleas et Melisande" in Paris with both Bernard Haitink and Marc Minkowski, also at the Deutsche Staatsoper with Sir Simon Rattle; and Cherubino ("The Marriage of Figaro") in Aix-en-Provence and Munich.

Pianist Karel Kosarek appears frequently with Kozena, accompanying her in concerts throughout the Czech Republic, at appearances for Deutsche Grammophon in Hamburg and Vienna, her US debut in the Lincoln Center in May 2001, and during a 2006 Japanese tour. Recent recordings include a disc with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, under the baton of Christopher Hogwood, of compositions by Martinu (Hyperion, February 2008), and a solo recital CD of Martinu piano works (Supraphon, January 2008). In 2009, he will perform Martinu's complete works for piano and orchestra to mark the 50th anniversary of the composer's death.

The complete program for the April 21 concert is: PURCELL/BRITTEN: Selection of Love Songs; SCHUMANN: Frauenliebe und -leben, Op. 42; DUPARC: L'invitation au Voyage; and BERG: Sieben fruhe Lieder.

$49/$32.

Official Website: http://www.performances.org