About the composer
Giovanni Battista Pergolesi (1710 - 1736) was born in Jesi, Italy. His name became known
thanks to his comic opera La Serva Padrone. He was slightly handicapped and had a weak
constitution. He probably died of tuberculosis. A lot of confusion exists about which
works Pergolesi did or did not compose. As his work came more and more in demand, some
publishers tried to make a little extra by taking an anonymous composition and attaching
the name of Pergolesi to it. However, about the Stabat Mater there is no doubt. It is
known that in his early years he composed a Stabat Mater in A minor.
Probably the Stabat Mater in C minor was Pergolesi's last composition. The commission for
this work was given by the same Order in Naples for which Alessandro Scarlatti 20 years
earlier had composed a Stabat Mater. Though the score of the compositions is almost
identical, the melodic lines of Pergolesi are more sentimental and highly ornamented.The
piece was widely acclaimed and it seems to have inspired many composers to imitate,
paraphrase and adapt (see Brunetti, de
Nardis and Paisiello). Joseph Eybler (1764 - 1846), who
was a friend of Mozart and who became Court Kapellmeister in Vienna after Antonio Salieri,
added a choir to replace some of the duets, and extended the orchestra. Others were John
Adam Hiller/Johann Adam Hüller (1728 - 1804) and Alexy Fyodorovich L'vov (ca. 1830). The
musical setting of Psalm 51 "Tilge, Höchster, meine Sünden" of the great Johann Sebastian is another example.
A completely different, and very curious adaptation is by a group called "Ophelia's
Dream" (see CD 8). It seems that this kind of
music is described as "Gothic".
The Victor Alcántara Trio recorded an extended (one hour!) jazz improvisation , in which
all parts of the Stabat Mater are used as starting points (See CD 9)
and another interesting one is by Jazz musician Enrico Rava for string quartet, trumpet,
accordion, guitar, bass and percussion (See CD 10).
The well-known producer Frank Fitzpatrick, who also composed music for numerous movies,
recently produced a CD in a kind of hip-hop style for the singer Sasha Lazard, with a
Stabat Mater composition by him, based on Pergolesi (See CD 11).
Another quite different interpretation of the first part of Pergolesi's Stabat
Mater can be found on a CD by "Le Quator" (See CD 12).
This group is a string quartet, but they sing, too, playing all kinds of music,
from Cole Porter to Mozart. Though they are a kind of musical clowns, their
interpretation of the music comes close to being serious.
The soundtrack of the George Lukas movie "THX 1138" contains a small Stabat
Mater, composed by Lalo Schifrin. It starts with a line from the first part of
Pergolesi's work, but then develops into a gloomy orchestral work. It plays
during the film titles. (See CD 13)
The first and last parts of Pergolesi's Stabat Mater have been used in the soundtrack of
the movie "Jésus de Montréal"; the third part (Quis est homo) is used in the
soundtrack of the movie "Smilla's Sense of Snow"; the last part is also used in
the movie "Amadeus" and in the movie "Mirror" by Andrei Tarkovsky.
The film "Cactus" by the Australian director Paul Cox is also said to have
Pergolesi's Stabat Mater on the soundtrack, but I do not know what parts are used.
| Date | 1736 |
| Performers | Soprano, alto, three violins, cello, organ |
| Length | 41.44 minutes (CD 1), 41.30 minutes (CD 2), 37.27 minutes (CD 3), 40.03 minutes (CD 4), 34.58 minutes (CD 5), 39.38 minutes (CD 6), 33.12 (CD 7) |
| Particulars | The work is divided into twelve sections, varying from one to
five stanzas. Very moving melodies, which led to some criticism because they were thought
to be too cheerful. Interesting is the line "dum e-mi-sit" which is sung
intermittently, as a musical picture of the last breaths of Jesus. This is found also with
some other composers. Some interpretations deviate from the composer's score, as a choir has been added to the two voices (see the second Colorbar, based on CD 2). This is probably based on the Eybler adaptation. |
| Textual variations | The "Analecta"-version of the text is used, with
one change: - Stanza 16, line 2: not "Passionis eius sortem" but "Passionis fac consortem" |
| CD 1 | Decca 421 645-2: Rossini, Petite Messe Solenelle |
| About this CD | A double CD with Rossini's beautiful mass, to which the
Stabat Mater has been added to complete the second CD. These registrations appeared
earlier on LP. The Stabat Mater was recorded at the Conservatorio di Napoli, Naples, in July 1964. It is a fine performance, with excellent soloists, though the use of a full-bodied string orchestra is not exactly as Pergolesi prescribed. I bought this CD in a record shop in the Netherlands, 1994 |
| Orchestra | Orchestra Rossini di Napoli |
| Conductor | Franco Carraciolo |
| Soloists | Judith Raskin, soprano Maureen Lehane, alto |
| Other works | Gioacchino Rossini: Petite Messe Solenelle |
| CD 2 | Decca 443 869-2 (double CD): Pergolesi/Scarlatti/Bononcini - Stabat Mater |
| About this CD | A nice collection of Stabat Maters and some other works, even
if the registrations are rather old. As it is the only Bononcini registration that I know
of, every collector should have it. Pergolesi was recorded in 1978. The performance deviates from the original score, as a choir is used in some sections, and, of course, a full-bodied string orchestra. I bought this CD in a record shop in the Netherlands, 1997 |
| Orchestra | The Argo Chamber Orchestra |
| Choir | Choir of St.John's College, Cambridge |
| Conductor | George Guest |
| Soloists | Felicity Palmer, soprano Alfreda Hodgson, alto |
| Other works | Giovanni Battista Pergolesi, Magnificat in C major Antonio Bononcini, Stabat Mater Domenico Scarlatti, Stabat Mater Alessandro Scarlatti, O magnum mysterium + Domine, refugium factus est nobis Antonio Lotti, Crucifixus Antonio Caldara, Crucifixus |
| CD 3 | L'Oiseau-Lyre 425 692-2: Pergolesi -Stabat Mater - Salve Regina |
| About this CD | Recorded at the St Jude's Church, London, in August 1988. Another fine performance, with excellent soloists, though again the use of a full-bodied string orchestra is not exactly as Pergolesi prescribed. Some people find this interpretation too florid. |
| Orchestra | Academy of Ancient Music |
| Conductor | Christopher Hogwood |
| Soloists | Emma Kirkby, soprano James Bowman, countertenor |
| Other works | Giovanni Battista Pergolesi: Salve Regina |
| CD 4 | STH Quality Records 19343: Giovanni Pergolesi, Stabat Mater |
| About this CD | I like this one, even if I am not very fond of trebles,
because the interpretation is as close to the original as possible. No female singers are
used, and the accompaniment is as Pergolesi wrote. Pure Pergolesi! Recorded at the St.Joriskerk, Amersfoort, Netherlands, in May 1993. |
| Orchestra | Florilegium Musicum |
| Conductor | Pieter Jan Leusink |
| Soloists | Martinus Leusink, treble Sytze Buwalda, countertenor |
| Other works |
| CD 5 | Alpha 009: Musica napoletana per la festa della Vergine dei Sette dolori |
| About this CD | This CD tries to paint a picture of the festivities that took
place in the streets of Naples in the 18th century during processions hold in honor of the
Virgin of the Seven Sorrows, on the Friday before Palm Sunday. Recorded in Paris, February 2000. The Pergolesi Stabat Mater is performed with a light accompaniment, as it should, but stanzas 1, 3, 10 and 20 are sung not by soloists, but by a choir. It is a very fast interpretation. |
| Orchestra | Le Poème Harmonique |
| Choir | Les Pages e les Chantres de la Chapelle |
| Conductor | Olivier Schneebell |
| Soloists | Arno Meier, Florent Msigtot, Marie Planinsek, trebles Damien Guillon, Bruno Le Levreur, countertenor |
| Other works | Anonymous: Stabat Mater intonation Anonymous: Tarantella Anonymous: Stabat Mater à trois voix Francesco Durante: Concerto nr 4 en mi |
| CD 6 | Novita' della Classica: Pergolesi, Stabat Mater - Salve Regina - In Coelestibus Regnis |
| About this CD | Nice performance, with fine soloists, but again, with the use
of a full-bodied string orchestra. Recorded at the Sacrestia Monumentale della Chiesa di San Marco, Milan, in February 1996. |
| Orchestra | I Solisti dell'Orchestra Filarmonica della Scale |
| Conductor | Ricardo Muti |
| Soloists | Barbara Frittoli, soprano Anna Caterina Antonacci, alto |
| Other works | Salve Regina In Coelestibus Regnis |
| CD 7 | KRO ES47.387: Stabat Mater This CD is produced by the Dutch KRO radio, in cooperation with the Stabat Mater Foundation. |
| About this CD | Even faster than CD 5. Yet again, with the use of a
full-bodied string orchestra. Also, the soloists are partly - during 6 stanzas - replaced
by a female choir. Nevertheless, a performance worth listening to, in a suitable location.
Moreover, it features the world premiere of the Stabat Mater by Fiocco. It is a recording of a concert performed on April 1, 2001 in the St.Petrus church at Oirschot. |
| Soloists | Roberta Alexander, soprano Sytse Buwalda, alto |
| Choir | Capella Brugensis |
| Conductor | Patrick Peire |
| Other works | Pietro Antonio Fiocco, Stabat Mater Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, Stabat Mater |
| CD 8 | Sad Eyes (Trinity records) tri 051 cd: Ophelia's Dream - Stabat Mater - EP |
| About this CD | It is a pity that very little information is given with this
CD. A sticker on the box tell us: "Heavenly voices & neo-classic with a feeling of an honest, eyeball-to-eyeball confrontation with Death, or laughter in the face of Death. Goth in its purest and darkest sense!" I would describe it as an extremely romantic, heavily accentuated adaption of the Pergolesi work. Nevertheless, I like it! The normal string orchestra has been extended by clavicord, piano and church organ. Stanzas 2 and 4 are played as orchestral interludes, while stanza 10 is a toccata-like organ solo. The final Amen is played as a piano solo. Stanza's 9 and 11 through 19 are omitted. Recorded in the Nova Tonstudio Beilstein; no date is given. The total playing time is only 23.43 minutes! I bought this CD on the Internet, Martz-Mailorder, 2001 |
| Soloists | Susanne Stierle and Dietmar Greulich No information about what they did. Probably the two singers (soprano, alto). |
| Other works |
| CD 9 | Organic Music ORGM 9716: Victor Alcántara Trio. Stabat Mater Inspirations |
| About this CD | A very nice improvisation. As Victor Alcántara writes:
"This trio arrangement is intended to let the music speak for itself. The text was
not the point of departure for the arrangement, though it has left its mark. I hope that
despite the musical treatment to which the original has been subjected, the listener can
still perceive the love which with Pergolesi wrote his work an which remains immanent in
it". Recorded in Germany in 1999. |
| Orchestra | Victor Alcántara Trio |
| Soloists | Victor Alcántara: piano Thomas Stabenow, bass Bastian Jütte, percussion |
| Other works |
| CD 10 | Harmonia Mundi (Label Bleu) LBLC 6559: "Rava l'opera va" |
| About this CD | Partly, the jazz improvisation follows the Pergolesi melodies
in a very relaxed way, partly it consists of Miles Davies-like improvisations, not really
my taste. Recorded in Italy in 1993. I bought this CD in a record shop in the Netherlands, 1999 |
| Orchestra | String quartet "Insieme strumentale di Roma" |
| Soloists | Enrico Rava, trumpet Richard Galliano, accordion Battista Lena, guitar Palle Danielsson, bass Jon Christensen, percussion |
| Other works | Jazz improvisations on works by Puccini (a.o. Tosca) and Bizet |
| CD 11 | Omtown OMCD 11552: Sasha Lazard, The Myth of Red |
| About this CD | A collection of songs, described on Sasha Lazard's website
as: Operatic arias fused together with primal/tribal electronic hip-hop beats. We can hear Pergolesi in the song Stabat Mater IXXI and in Stabat Mater Reprise Recorded in the USA in 2002 I bought this CD on the Internet, JPC.de, 2003 |
| Orchestra | Keyboards, synth bass, percussion, cello |
| Soloists | Sasha Lazard, soprano |
| Other works | The music is partly based on classical music (for instance Rachmaninov, Caccini, Verdi, Cesti, Saint-Saens) |
| CD 12 | JMS 18689-2: Le Quator |
| About this CD | A collection of musical pieces which resemble
patchwork, being composed of parts of classical music, modern and
traditional songs, played by musical clowns. Still, it is quite nice to
listen to. Pity that I cannot understand what they sing. I bought this CD on the Internet, JPC.de, 2003 |
| Orchestra | Le Quator, consisting of: Jean-Claude Camors, violin Laurent Vercambre, violin Pierre Ganem, viola Laurent Cirade, cello |
| Other works | In the twelve pieces on the CD we can hear shards of Mozart, Borodin, Brahms, Tsjaikowsky and others. |
| CD 13 | Film Score Monthly, Vol.6, Nr.4 - Lalo Schifrin, THX 1138 |
| About this CD | The original motion picture soundtrack of THX
1138, an SF movie by George Lukas, made in 1969. I bought this CD on the Internet, Buysoundtrax.com, 2004 |
| Orchestra | Unknown, but conducted by Lalo Schifrin |
| Other works |
E-mail:
stabatmater@dds.nl