The MagazineModern MélisandeFrom the ashes of communism, a voice for the new century.Jan 24, 2011, Vol. 16, No. 18
• By CATHY YOUNG
 One of the most sought-after classical singers in Europe, Magdalena Kozena has very little of the diva about her. The 37-year-old Czech-born, Berlin-based mezzo-soprano is warm and unpretentious, whether in interviews or in conversation with backstage visitors. A mother of two sons, ages five and two, she speaks of family as her first priority and readily turns down engagements that would interfere with it. This may be one of the reasons that, while Kozena has many devoted American fans, she is not as widely known among opera and classical music audiences here as she is across the Atlantic.  Magdalena Kozena, 2010 Jens Kalaene / AFP / Getty Images Her name was new to me when I heard her in Mahler’s Fourth Symphony at a Berlin Philharmonic concert in New York in 2006. Struck by her luminous voice and wrenching dramatic intensity, I set out in search of Kozena recordings and discovered a singer of unique personality and power. Since then, I have been fortunate to see Kozena in several other live performances, most recently as Mélisande in a brief run of Debussy’s Pelléas et Mélisande at the Metropolitan Opera. The effect remains undiminished. To read more, you must be a Weekly Standard Subscriber We're Sorry,
the rest of this article is available only to subscribers. You have two options: 1:
2:
If you are not yet a Subscriber to TWS, don't wait
any longer to Subscribe Now!
Subscribing today will provide you with immediate, complete access to the current issue, as well as to all back issues on the site. Each week you will be able to read articles from the newest issue even before print copies are mailed! Privacy PolicyThe Weekly Standard ArchivesBrowse 15 Years of the Weekly Standard |
What Did You Miss? 
Features |
Become a Fan on Facebook Follow us on Twitter Share This
© Copyright 2012 The Weekly Standard LLC - A Weekly Conservative Magazine & Blog. All Rights Reserved.
Privacy Policy
