Soprano Sandrine Piau renews her collaboration with Christophe Rousset and Les Talens Lyriques with a recording of Pergolesi’s beloved Stabat Mater. They are joined here by countertenor Christopher Lowrey, and complement the Pergolesi with a couple of lesser-known sacred works from the same time, by Leonardo Leo and Nicola Porpora.
BBC Music Magazine Choice
Featuring
Christophe Rousset
Christopher Lowrey
Sandrine Piau
Les Talens Lyriques
Giovanni Battista Pergolesi
Nicola Antonio Porpora
Leonardo Leo
Did you know?
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Historical Context
Pergolesi's Stabat Mater was believed to have inaugurated a new way of composing sacred music, the 'Neapolitan style', which combined strict counterpoint with secular elements of musical commedia.
Composition History
The original manuscript of Pergolesi's Stabat Mater, considered the only authentic one, is preserved in the Archive of the Abbey of Montecassino.
Composition History
Pergolesi's Stabat Mater was already in the hands of Johann Sebastian Bach a few years after its creation, who made a German paraphrase of it.
Recording & Production
This album was recorded in July 2018 at the Église Notre-Dame de-l'Assomption d'Auvers-sur-Oise, a church immortalized by Van Gogh's brush.
Composer Biography
Nicola Porpora, a Neapolitan composer, was a renowned singing teacher whose private school in Naples counted Carlo Broschi (Farinelli, the most famous singer of all time) among his students.
Historical Context
A 'Neapolitan school' of music, recognized even at the time, existed and involved all musicians educated at the four ancient conservatories of Naples, with sacred music as their principal object of study.
Performer Biography
Sandrine Piau, the soprano on this recording, was made Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 2006 and elected 'Opera Artist of the Year' at the Victoires de la Musique 2009.
