About the composer
Giuseppe Verdi (1813 - 1901) was born in Le Roncole, near Parma, Italy. Verdi, of course,
is famous for his operas, but he also wrote some sacred music, the Requiem and the Quattro
Pezzi Sacri (four holy pieces), consisting of Stabat Mater, Ave Maria, Te Deum and Laudi
alla Vergine Maria. The Stabat Mater and Te Deum were the last works Verdi wrote.
The composer Agusto Donini (1874 - 1937) used the theme from Verdi's Stabat Mater in an
organ piece "Fuga del organo sul tema dello "stabat mater" di Verdi"
| Date | 1898 |
| Performers | Mixed choir and orchestra |
| Length | 12.43 minutes (CD 1) and 12.22 (CD 2) |
| Particulars | Verdi's setting is described as a mixture of the purity and simplicity of the sixteenth century version of Palestrina, with the drama and pathos of Il Trovatore. The composition moves through the text without any repetition. Note the typically Verdian outburst in stanza 7 where Jesus is flogged, and the subtle slipping away of Jesus' spirit in stanza 8, accompanied by distant shrouded drums. |
| Textual variations | The "Vatican"-version" of the text is used |
| CD 1 | EMI Classics 7243 5 65845 2 (2 CD's) Stabat Mater |
| About this CD | Five completely different settings of the Stabat Mater. A
"must" for every collector, especially as it has the only performance of
Schubert's Stabat Mater D.175. The Stabat Maters were recorded in 1982/83. |
| Orchestra | Berliner Philharmoniker |
| Choir | Swedish Radio Choir & Stockholm Chamber Choir |
| Conductor | Riccardo Muti |
| Other works | Franz Schubert: Stabat Maters D.175 and D.383 Gioacchino Rossini: Stabat Mater Antonio Vivaldi: Stabat Mater |
| CD 2 | Telarc CD-80254: Verdi, Quattro Pezzi Sacri - Strawinsky, Symphony of Psalms |
| About this CD | Two sacred works by completely different composers. Verdi was recorded at the Woodruff Performing Arts Center, Atlanta, Georgia, in May 1990. |
| Orchestra | Atlanta Symphony Orchestra |
| Choir | Atlanta Choir |
| Conductor | Robert Shaw |
| Other works | Giuseppe Verdi: Te Deum + Ave Maria + Lauda alla Vergine
Maria Igor Strawinsky: Symphony of Psalms |
E-mail:
stabatmater@dds.nl