Phidyl – CD

This classical vocal CD features soprano Kateina Knkov with the Janek Philharmonic Ostrava conducted by Robert Jindra, performing Bohuslav Martins The Magical Nights, selected songs by Henri Duparc, Maurice Ravels Five Greek Folk Songs and Shhrazade, and Karol Szymanowskis Pentezilea. Knkovs lyric-coloratura soprano has delighted audiences at opera houses and concert halls in many world music capitals, including performances with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, Bamberger Symphoniker, Camerata Salzburg, Czech Philharmonic, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin and Mahler Chamber Orchestra, working with conductors including J. Blohlvek, S. Baudo, M. Honeck, J. Hra, T. Netopil and R. Ticciati. One of her career highlights is an invitation to sing the title role in Janeks Ka Kabanov at Glyndebourne. For her Supraphon solo debut, she chose captivating fin-de-sicle songs from the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, with an impressionist atmosphere, including Martins settings of Chinese poetry and Duparcs songs. The simple, devout country girl Phidyl, the heroine of one of them, gives the album its title. Exoticism, a connection with nature and a trust in intuition run through the entire selection, while the orchestra creates a richly coloured canvas for Knkovs soprano. The contents are in Czech, with the songs performed in their original languages.