Terry Wey, another countertenor on this recording, received his vocal training as a soloist with the Vienna Boys' Choir.
Performer Biography
Valer Barna-Sabadus, a countertenor on this recording, was named 'Artist of the Month' by Musical America for his role as Adrasto in Niccolò Jommelli's Demofoonte at the Salzburg Pentecost Festival in 2009.
Composition History
Pergolesi's Stabat Mater, a masterwork of Catholic Passion music, was possibly inspired by the failure of his last opera, Olimpiade, which was so unsuccessful that an orange was thrown at him during a performance.
Composer Biography
Giovanni Battista Pergolesi, the composer, had a short career of only five years, from the end of his education at 21 until his premature death in 1736.
Composition History
Pergolesi composed his Stabat Mater while staying at a villa in Pozzuoli, seeking recovery from tuberculosis, and was cared for by the Duke of Maddaloni's servants, physicians, and Franciscan monks.
Composer Biography
Pergolesi suffered from a walking impediment from childhood and tuberculosis, and often sought divine intervention for himself and others.
Interpretation
This recording aims to liberate Pergolesi's music from the cliché of sentimental gentleness, emphasizing dynamic and articulation contrasts, and using tempi that align with the Italian Settecento style.
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