Sir Simon Rattle admits affair with soprano

Britain's greatest living conductor Sir Simon Rattle and Czech opera star Magdalena Kozena today publicly admitted that they are living together.

The couple, who are both married, have moved to quell speculation about their private lives by issuing a joint statement to the Evening Standard.

Sir Simon and Kozena's spokesman said: "Further to recent press reports, Sir Simon Rattle and Magdalena Kozena have confirmed that they are indeed a couple and living together. All the relevant parties concerned are fully conversant with this situation. There will be no further comment."

Last night Kozena, 30, was the star singer at a Promenade concert highlighting the musical links between Mozart and Prague. Sir Simon is due to perform at the Proms once next month and twice in September.

Rumours of the relationship have circulated in the world of classical music for a year and entered the public domain last weekend.

The couple worked together on a production of Idomeneo by Mozart at last year's Glyndebourne festival. Until now Kozena has been based in Paris with her husband, French baritone Vincent le Texier. Sir Simon is believed to have left his second wife, Candace Allen, a Bostonbornwriter, in the last few months. Ms Allen has remained in their Islington home while he has continued to work from Berlin where is is music director of the Philharmonic.

Her father, Dr Edward Allen, told a newspaper: "My daughter told me that Simon has left her for Magdalena. She is distressed." The couple have been married for eight years.

Dr Allen, a dentist, added that some time after Easter: "Candace told me she had been dumped by Simon. It made me sad because he has become my friend. I wish him well, but I wish this had not happened."

Sir Simon, 49, divorced his first wife Elise Ross, an American singer with whom he had two sons, in 1995 after 15 years of marriage.

He became the principal conductor of the Birmingham Symphony Orchestra when he was only 24 and left in 1999 to take up the Berlin post.

Kozena has been dismissed by some commentators because of her striking looks and willingness to pose for glamorous pictures.

However, she receives star billing at the world's most prestigious opera houses and has just been shortlisted for a Gramophone award as one of the six best classical artists of 2004.