Poulenc: Stabat Mater, Litanies à la Vierge noire

Featuring

Mathieu Romano
Louis-Noël Bestion de Camboulas
Marianne Croux
Ensemble Aedes
Les Siècles
Francis Poulenc

Clément Janequin

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Composition History

Poulenc's Litanies à la Vierge noire and Stabat mater were both dedicated to the Black Virgin of Rocamadour, a medieval pilgrimage site in France.

Composition History

Poulenc began composing his Litanies à la Vierge noire in just seven days in August 1936, after visiting the shrine of the Black Virgin at Rocamadour following the tragic death of a fellow composer, Pierre-Octave Ferroud.

Recording & Production

This recording features Les Siècles, an orchestra that performs on period instruments from the first half of the 20th century, relevant to the era of Francis Poulenc's compositions.

Compositional Technique

Poulenc described his Stabat mater as a 'requiem without despair', blending dramatic and contemplative elements with a certain violence but no sentimentality.

Composer Biography

Francis Poulenc, a largely self-taught composer, became one of the most important 20th-century exponents of sacred music, despite having been known as the 'bad boy' of French music.