For the Soul / VIP 5
Programme
Slovenian Philharmonic Choir and Orchestra
Hossein Pishkar, conductor
Mojca Bitenc, soprano
Nuška Drašček, mezzo-soprano
David Jagodic, tenor
Matija Bizjan, bass
The Stabat Mater is a Christian hymn in twenty stanzas that describes Mary, the mother of Jesus, suffering under the cross. Dating from the thirteenth century, is was most likely written by Jacopone da Todi. It has been part of the Catholic liturgy for centuries, and during this time has inspired many composers. Thus we are familiar with it as a simple chorale melody and in Pergolesi’s famous setting, as well as in more recent works by Arvo Pärt, James MacMillan and others.
Antonín Dvořák also engaged with the text in the form of an extensive spiritual cantata or oratorio. The work was created between 1876 and 1877, after which the composer sent the manuscript to Vienna together with an application for a scholarship. The first performance took place in Prague in 1880. Two years later, it resurfaced in Brno under the baton of Leoš Janáček, but it was the performance in London’s Royal Albert Hall in 1884 that brought the composer international recognition. Today, Dvořák’s Stabat Mater is among his most celebrated and most frequently performed sacred works.