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”
About the Stabat Mater
Date
1898
Performers
Mixed choir and orchestra
Length
CD 1: 12.43 minutes and CD 2: 12.22 minutes
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
Colour bar
Information about the recording
CD1:
EMI Classics 7243 5 65845 2 (2 CD's) Stabat Mater
More info:
Five completely different settings of the Stabat Mater. A "must" for every collector, especially as it has the 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
Code:
SCH-04
CD2:
Telarc CD-80254: Verdi, Quattro Pezzi Sacri – Strawinsky, Symphony of Psalms
More info:
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
