About the composer
Frank Ferko was born June 18, 1950 in Barberton, Ohio, USA. He studied piano and organ,
and holds a doctorate in music composition. For the main part of his career he worked as
director of music at various churches. Living in Chicago, he nowadays spends most of his
time composing.
| Date | 1998 |
| Performers | Soprano and mixed Choir |
| Length | 54.37 minutes |
| Particulars | Like some other modern composers Ferko feels that the Stabat
Mater text has a broader meaning and is related to the suffering of all people losing
children by war, crimes or accidents. He emphasizes this by inserting some other texts. His Stabat Mater consists of 25 small musical sections. Ferko describes his music himself as: A musical mosaic including such old-fashioned concepts as tonal centres, church modes, major and minor keys, counterpoint and melody. The composer offers the choice of singing the Stabat Mater with or without the interludes. |
| Textual variations | The "Vatican"-version of the text is used, but
there are 5 interludes of additional texts, in which the soprano figures. The piece starts with I. "Introduction" (from the bible Luke 2:34-35). After stanza 4 we hear interlude II. "Andromache's Lament" from the Trojan Women by Euripides. After stanza 8 comes interlude III. "The Mother", a poem by the Irish poet Padraic Pearse. After stanza 12 comes interlude IV. Four small poems from "The Death Machine" by Charlotte Mayerson. After stanza 16 finally interlude V. "Elegy", a poem by Sally M.Gall. |
| CD | Cedille Records CDR 90000 051: Frank Ferko, Stabat Mater |
| About this CD | In the CD-insert the composer gives extensive explanations
about his work, not only what the poem meant to him, but also about the musical ways he
used to express this meaning. Recorded at Mallinckrodt Chapel, Wilmette, Illinois in August 1999. |
| Choir | His Majestie's Clerkes |
| Conductor | Anne Heider |
| Soloists | Nancy Gustafson, soprano |
| Other works |
E-mail:
stabatmater@dds.nl