Kožená teams up with crack period band La Cetra, whose virtuoso solo contributions are a delight, yet the voice isn't quite what it was - more diffuse, painting with broader tonal brushstrokes. Here in Monteverdi that proves itself, at times, an advantage, giving greater scope to Octavia's emotionally charged recitatives from L'incoronazione di Poppea

With compete assurance [La Cetra] deliver fresh and vibrant playing totally in accord with the needs of Kožená and her partners...It is hard to fault this marvellous recording featuring Kožená at the peak of her powers.

Kožená gives an involving performance of Combattimento, touching in the celestial phrases at the end, but her decision to sing it as a solo piece—taking the parts of both lover-adversaries and narrator—is not something new, contrary to what one might infer from her remarks. The superbly played interludes illustrative of the action are typical of the imaginative approach of Marcon and his musicians.

These are not chaste performances—they’d never be mistaken for readings from an English group, for instance...Kožená may be in strange territory, but she makes it her own. Ottavia’s two arias from L’incoronazione di Poppea are richly sung, fiercely vivid, and would be welcomed in a complete performance.

Kožená uses violent accents, straight tones and extreme dynamics to great effect yet retains plangent vulnerability...The disc’s highlight is Kožená’s aggressive and virtuosic rendition of the great scena Il Combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda...Here the mezzo realizes her instincts for color and expression with dramatic force.