The 17th century Italian composer Tarquinio Merula's "Canzonetta Spirituale sopra alla nanna" is a lullaby, but it is not an ordinary lullaby; it is a chant lullaby created for the Virgin Mary and baby Jesus. The story is that Mary is rocking little Jesus to sleep in her arms. However, as she does this, she knows in her heart that her son will eventually be crucified.

"A mother has her little baby in her arms, seeing his little feet. What a peaceful picture it is! But how cruel it is since this mother knows her child will be tortured and she cannot do anything. In her inner world, it must be full of complicated emotions of tenderness, anger and desperation," Magdalena Kožená, the world-renowned Czech mezzo-soprano, and also a mother of two, told the Global Times recently ahead of her first concert in Shanghai. "It is indeed one of my favorite songs," she said.

Magdalena Kožená will perform at the Shanghai Concert Hall, accompanied by the period ensemble Private Musicke. Photos: Courtesy of Shanghai Concert Hall

Kožená will perform the piece tonight at the Shanghai Concert Hall, accompanied by the period ensemble Private Musicke. The program for the evening is taken from Lettere Amorose (Love Letters), an album of early Italian Baroque music which Kožená recorded with Private Musicke in 2007.

"It was our first cooperation with Kožená and we didn't know each other before that," Pierre Pitzl, the leader of Private Musicke said, "but it was amazing, we chose the works of our favorite composers together, like Tarquinio Merula, Claudio Monteverdi, and Girolamo Kapsberger, and Kožená really has her own special interpretation of those Italian Baroque works, especially Merula's chant lullaby."

Pitzl pointed out what is so special about the musical quality of that piece. "It lasts nine minutes, and for most of its six or seven minutes, it keeps only a two-note bass line, but at the same time, with spiky dissonances in the chords and a very changeable voice part," he said. "And the emotion inside is also strange and very complicated, but Kožená can grasp it perfectly."

Kožená told us that the reason she loves Baroque music is because of its great freedom and creativity. "Every person, every group can interpret their very own version of Baroque music and it is not specifically written for any particular instrument," she said. "And the music is very much related to its text, which can really tell a story through the music."

Magdalena Kožená will perform at the Shanghai Concert Hall, accompanied by the period ensemble Private Musicke. Photos: Courtesy of Shanghai Concert Hall

"That is why I always say, when I'm singing, I'm not singing, I'm telling a story via singing," she added.

As a child, Kožená also learned to play the piano, but she says the advantage of being a singer is she can convey not only music, but also stories.

"When you are playing a piano, it is difficult for you to face the audience, most of the time you focus on your keyboard, but when you are singing, you can see the reaction from the audience, and the reaction is always different, creative and new for every concert, sometimes, it is just like a discussion without words," she said.

Born in Moravia in 1973, Kožená developed an early interest in music, but it wasn't until after the Velvet Revolution, when she was in her late teens, that Kožená could contemplate an international career as a professional singer. She believes she was probably among the first group of Czechs to learn authentic Baroque music.

"At that time, it was quite unusual in our country since we didn't know very much about all the movements of music and any authentic interpretation about Baroque music. When I began to learn it, it was actually totally new for me at that time," she said.

"Even now, I still keep my passion for Baroque music," she added, "but I won't only concentrate on singing Baroque music as I also learned opera and classical music when I started my career."

Kožená said her interpretation of Baroque music is influenced by an operatic style. "People who only do Baroque music, they always have special technique, which makes their voices kind of 'untrained' and without technique, but for me, I use many opera singing techniques to sing Baroque music, and this kind of way just always reminds me of my beginnings."

For Kožená's first Shanghai concert, she will wear a dress made by a fellow Czech, fashion designer Daniela Flejšarová. The pair have worked together for a long time. Flejšarová even made Kožená's maternity dresses when she was pregnant with the two sons she has with husband Sir Simon Rattle, the famous English conductor who now leads the Berlin Philharmonic. "She will always ask me about the subjects of the concert or the CD before designing the dresses for me," Kožená said.

What remains to be seen is whether Kožená will walk on stage barefoot, as she is sometimes known to do.

"I feel it is more relaxing and free for a Baroque music concert," she said. "Of course, not always, and this time, I will see how warm your concert hall will be and then decide whether I will do that or not."

Date: November 8, 7:30 pm

Venue: Shanghai Concert Hall

上海音乐厅

Address: 523 Yan'an Road East

延安东路523号

Tickets: 80/180/280/380/580/680/880/1080 (VIP) yuan

Call 400-8918-182 for details