Czech mezzo-soprano Markéta Cukrová and pianist Ivo Kahánek capture the magic of Bohuslav Martinů and Benjamin Britten
In 2016 Markéta Cukrová and pianist Ivo Kahánek recorded a CD titled Ej, smutno je mě – or Ej, I’m feeling sad. The meloncholy album is a compilation of songs by Bohuslav Martinů inspired by Czech folk music and Benjamin Britten's cycle A Charm of Lullabies.
Mezzo-soprano Markéta Cukrová ranks among the most sought-after interpreters in the field of “early music”. She performs with many ensembles that offer top-class interpretations of both Medieval and Baroque music and gives regular guest performances in the National Theatre Opera in Prague, the Brno National Theatre and the Košice State Theatre.
In 2016 Markéta Cukrová and pianist Ivo Kahánek recorded a CD titled Ej, smutno je mě – or Ej, I’m feeling sad. The melancholy album is a compilation of songs by Bohuslav Martinů inspired by Czech folk music and Benjamin Britten's cycle A Charm of Lullabies. It was recorded for Czech Radio and released in May of this year.
Here is what the singer said about it in an interview for Czech Radio’s Vltava music channel:
“I love to sing Bohuslav Martinů’s songs, it is something so heartfelt for a Czech singer. It has long been my wish to record his song cycles inspired by Czech folklore. When an offer came from Czech Radio to make such a recording I didn’t hesitate for a minute. And we decided it would go well with Benjamin Britten’s cycle A Charm of Lullabies.”
“Some of the most beautiful music is sad. The listener can easily relate to a melancholic or sad feeling. In our Slavic environment, melancholy is ever-present and is a dominant element. I have it in my blood, as well. From a vocal technical point of view, melancholic and mournful melodies enable you to work beautifully with the voice, develop phrases, work with vibrato, work with colour. That's what I enjoy most about it. I like to sing sad music."
