Magdalena Kožená / Collegium 1704 / Václav Luks IL GIARDINO DEI SOSPIRI

For me, coming back to baroque repertoire is like opening the door to my grandparents’ loft – full of familiar smells, handmade toys and old fairy-tale books. The sort of place where I can stretch myself out on top of a haystack, forget about the outside world for a little while and allow myself to be carried away to the unexplored wilderness of the past. With this recording I would like to take you with me on a particularly exciting journey, not only because we uncovered some pieces which haven’t been performed since they were rst composed, but also because I could hardly imagine more passionate, savage, uninhibited yet loving and caressing companions for these desperate heroines than Václav Luks and the musicians of Collegium 1704. I hope you enjoy listening to this music as much as I loved singing it. (Magdalena Kožená)

Xenia Löffler / Anna Prohaska / Collegium 1704 / Václav Luks JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH Oboe Concertos & Cantatas

After the very successful album with the B minor Mass according to the Rheinische Post, the most beautiful recording of this work currently in existence Vaclav Luks and his Collegium 1704 ensemble return to Johann Sebastian Bach. Joined by Xenia Loffler, the solo oboist of AKAMUS Berlin, and the renowned soprano Anna Prohaska, Luks presents a deluxe setup for a programme of concertos and cantatas in which the oboe plays a prominent role. As a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral musician, Xenia Loffler has gained an outstanding reputation as a baroque oboist over the past several years. Working with ensembles such as the Akademie fur Alte Musik Berlin, where she has been active as a member and soloist since 2001, she has toured throughout the world and has performed at some of the most important music festivals and concert halls.