Soir?e captures the atmosphere of informal, domestic music making. Czech star mezzo-soprano Magdalena Ko?en? offers an intimate and highly personal collection of international songs together with an outstanding group of musical friends, including Sir Simon Rattle, who makes his recording debut as a pianist. The German lied is represented by Brahms (Two Songs, Op. 91 and Five Ophelia Songs, WoO 22) and Strauss (Morgen!), the French chanson by Chausson (Chanson perp?tuelle) and Ravel (Chansons mad?casses), and 20th-century avant-gardism with Stravinsky's Three Songs from William Shakespeare. In between these explorations, Ko?en? revisits her musical roots with a selection of Dvor?k songs, arranged by Duncan Ward, as well as Jan?cek's Nursery Rhymes. Soir?e is the second release of Magdalena Ko?en?'s exclusive collaboration with PENTATONE, after having presented the baroque cantatas recital album Il giardino dei sospiri in 2019.