About the composer
Francis Poulenc (1899 - 1963) was born in Paris. He became widely known while still a
young man by his songs (Le Bestiaire, 1919). After meeting the choreograph Diaghilev he
composed the ballet Les Biches, an immediate success. With Honegger and Milhaud and some
others he formed the "group of 6". His many choral works all date from after
1936. Inspiration came from getting to know the motets of Monteverdi and the poems of Paul
Eluard. A mental change was caused also by the deadly accident of a young composer friend.
This led Poulenc to making a pilgrimage to the black virgin of Rocamadour, where he
experienced a spiritual revelation that returned him to his catholic religion. As a result
he composed the "Litanies a la Vierge noir". Poulenc stayed deeply religious,
though he could also be lighthearted, cynical and humorous, emotions that all can be found
in his works.Poulenc himself said of his choral works: Here I have brought something new
and I expect that in the end people will be interested more in the Stabat Mater than in
all my piano works.
| Date | 1950 |
| Performers | Soprano, mixed choir and orchestra |
| Length | 31.10 minutes |
| Particulars | The Stabat Mater is Poulenc's first choral work with orchestra. Like the Litanies this work to was created in memory of a friend, the painter Christian Bernard. He chose the Stabat Mater in stead of the Requiem, because the heart-rending text seemed suited to dedicate the soul of his friend to the holy Virgin of Rocamadour. It was composed in only two months, what Poulenc attributed to heavenly inspiration. The twelve sections are built carefully around returning motifs in nrs 1, 6 and 12. It makes one think of a cycle of songs, with the slow parts forming the emotional center. |
| Textual variations | The "Vatican" text is used, with following changes: - Stanza 13, line 1: Not "Fac me tecum, pie, flere" but "Fac me vere tecum flere" - Stanza 14, line 2: Not "Et me tibi sociare" but "Te libenter sociare" - Stanza 17, line 3: Not "Et cruore Filii" but "Ob amorem Filii" - Stanza 18, line 1: Not "Flammis ne urar succensus" but "Inflammatus et accensus" |
| CD | Decca 448 139-2: Poulenc - Gloria - Stabat Mater |
| About this CD | Dedicated to sacred choral works of Poulenc Recorded at La Salle Wagram, Paris, in December 1994. |
| Orchestra | Orchestre National de France |
| Choir | Choeur de Radio France |
| Conductor | Charles Dutoit |
| Soloists | Françoise Pollet, soprano |
| Other works | Gloria Litanies a la Vierge noir |
| Added | Unknown POU 01 |
E-mail:
stabatmater@dds.nl