Dvořák: Stabat mater, Op. 58

Featuring

Erin Wall
Mihoko Fujimura
Christian Elsner
Liang Li
Mariss Jansons
Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks

Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Antonín Dvořák

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Compositional Technique

The work is marked by consistently slow tempi, mostly subdued dynamics, and an introverted melodiousness, with only rare dramatic outbursts.

Performer Biography

Mariss Jansons, the conductor, was born in Riga in 1943, the son of conductor Arvīds Jansons, and studied violin, piano, and conducting.

Performer Biography

The Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks (Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra) was founded in 1949 and is considered one of the top international orchestras, having been listed among the ten best by Gramophone magazine in 2008.

Composition History

Dvořák's Stabat Mater was sketched between February and May 1876, but he returned to complete it in autumn 1877 after the tragic deaths of two of his young children.

Compositional Technique

Dvořák's Stabat Mater is one of the most extensive settings of the text in Western music, lasting around 80 minutes, and is characterized by its symphonic scope and deep piety.

Notable Performances

Dvořák's Stabat Mater was first performed in Prague on December 23, 1880, and later in London in March 1883, where it received a rapturous reception.

Notable Performances

Dvořák himself conducted a performance of his Stabat Mater with a vast orchestra and choir in London's Royal Albert Hall on March 13, 1884, his first concert in England.