Giles Swayne

About the composer
Giles Swayne was born in 1946 and grew up in Liverpool and in Yorkshire. He composed from an early age. In 1976-1977 he visited Paris to study with Olivier Messiaen. In 1980 his 80-minute piece Cry for 28 amplified voices, was premiered by the BBC singers. It has been performed twice at the BBC Proms (in 1983 and 1994). A new version of the Stabat Mater with solo chello was commissioned by Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk Choir, and had its premiere in February 2011.

 About the Stabat Mater

Date 2004
Performers a capella voices soprano, alto, tenor, bass and mixed choir
Length 36.18 minutes
Particulars This Stabat Mater was commissioned for the 2004 Bath Festival by Gerry Mattock and Berylcalver- Jones. It was first performed in Prior Park Chapel by Bath Camerata under Nigel Perrin. Swayne dedicated this Stabat Mater to the grieving mothers of Israel and Palestine.
Textual variations The order of the stanzas is very special: 1-11-2-13-3-4-14-5-6-7-8-15-9-10-16-19-20. Only 12, 17 and 18 are not sung. There are several intermezzi of Jewish, Muslim and Christian prayers (between the stanzas of the Latin poem) to create a shared ritual of grief.

Colorbar

Stanza 1 11 I 2 13 II 3 4 14 III 5 6 7 8 15 IV 9 10 16 V VI 19 20 VII
Soprano                                                
Alto                                                
Tenor                                                
Bass                                                
Choir                                                

CD information

CD Stabat Mater The silent land Naxos 8572595.
About this CD  
Orchestra  
Choir The Dmitri Ensemble
Conductor Graham Ross
Soloists Sophie Bevan, soprano
Kate Symonds-Joy, alto
Ben Alden, tenor
Jonathan Sells, bass
Other works Senegalese song: O Lulum
Giles Swayne, Magnificat
Giles Swayne, The silent land
Giles Swayne, Ave Verum
Added 2011 (SWA 01) - 241

 

E-mail: stabatmater@dds.nl

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