Stabat Mater settings by Casciolini, Scarlatti, Firstova, Korvits and Martin; The Sixteen, Harry Christophers; Corod
Reviewed by Robert Hugill on Dec 1 2014
Star rating:
Fascinating and brilliantly performed: the rise of reform opera
John Studzinski the founder of The Genesis Foundation, is concerned to have young contemporary composers writing music for the Roman Catholic liturgy. The new works on this disc on the Coro Label are the product of an extension to this, whereby three young composers were invited to set the Stabat Mater, the long (20 verses) Latin hymn which depicts the sorrows of the Virgin at the foot of the cross. The Stabat Mater has a long history in the Roman Catholic Church and it is currently used liturgically for the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows. This new disc, from Harry Christophers and The Sixteen, presents the three new settings by Alissa Firsova, Tonu Korvits and Matthew Martin, alongside the plainchant version plus settings by Claudio Casciolini and Domenico Scarlatti. The three contemporary settings were all premiered at LSO St. Lukes in June 2014.
Reviewed by Robert Hugill on Dec 1 2014
Star rating:
Fascinating and brilliantly performed: the rise of reform opera
John Studzinski the founder of The Genesis Foundation, is concerned to have young contemporary composers writing music for the Roman Catholic liturgy. The new works on this disc on the Coro Label are the product of an extension to this, whereby three young composers were invited to set the Stabat Mater, the long (20 verses) Latin hymn which depicts the sorrows of the Virgin at the foot of the cross. The Stabat Mater has a long history in the Roman Catholic Church and it is currently used liturgically for the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows. This new disc, from Harry Christophers and The Sixteen, presents the three new settings by Alissa Firsova, Tonu Korvits and Matthew Martin, alongside the plainchant version plus settings by Claudio Casciolini and Domenico Scarlatti. The three contemporary settings were all premiered at LSO St. Lukes in June 2014.
The three modern composers have all taken a different approach to the setting. in fact none of the modern composers faces up to the challenge of setting all 20 verses with each making their own selection. Alissa Firsova, who is British with Russian parents (who are composers themselves) writes music which echoes both the classic polyphony of Palestrina and the poised coolness of some Russian Orthodox music. Tonu Korvits, from Estonia, has echoes of contemporary Baltic classical music as well as influences from Estonia folk-music. Matthew Martin has rather re-worked the piece, mixing Latin with a modern English translation, and re-casting it as a complex Passiontide Triptych which to some extent pulls the focus away from the poem's Marian emotionalism.
![]() |
Alissa Firsova |
![]() |
Tonu Korvits - Photo: Kaupo Kikkas |
The group then performs the rarely done Stabat Mater by the 18th century Roman composer Claudio Casciolini. Casciolini sets the work in traditional manner with even numbered verses sung to plainsong, and odd numbered verses sung to Casciolini's setting. Casciolini provided two contrasting settings, one for five voices and one for four voices. The resulting contrasts, combined with the melodic felicity of Casciolini's writing makes for a highly attractive piece. Casciolini sets all 20 verses.
![]() |
Matthew Martin |
The final work on the programme is the large scale Stabat Mater setting by Domenico Scarlatti. Written for 10-part choir with four soprano parts, the piece is familiar from the concert platform (it is probably too large scale for liturgical use nowadays) and I have heard it sung by just 10 singers. Here Christophers uses 10 soloists (Julie Cooper, Charlotte Mobbs, Kirsty Hopkins, Alexandra Kidgell, David Clegg, Ian Aitkenhead, Jeremy Budd, Mark Dobell, Ben Davies and Rob Macdonald) who provide contrasts of texture. The result is a finely performed account of the work which combines technical poise with a nicely involving quality.
This is a lovely disc, the performances from Christophers and The Sixteen are exemplary and by including older settings of the same text we get a fascinating selection of very different attitudes to the same text.
Plainchant - Stabat Mater [4:51]
Alissa Firsova (born 1986) - Stabat Mater [8.32]
Tornu Korvits (born 1969) - Stabat Mater [11.17]
Claudio Casciolini (1697 - 1760) - Stabat Mater [10.08]
Matthew Martin (born 1976) - Stabat Mater: A Passiontide Triptych [10.21]
Domenico Scarlatti (1685 - 1757) - Stabat Mater [23.24]
The Sixteen
Harry Christophers (conductor)
CORO COR16127 1CD [68.45]
Elsewhere on this blog:
- An operatic Game of Thrones? Lully's Amadis from Les Talens Lyriques - CD review
- Speaking & singing: Shadwell Opera explores boundaries between spoken and sung - concert review
- Virtuoso & Romantic: Academy of St Martin in the Fields plays Howard Blake - concert review
- Cello with zing: Sonatas by Boccherini and Cirri - CD review
- Naive charm & delight: Weber's Oberon - opera review
- American Masters: Anne Akiko Meyers in Bates, Corigliano and Barber - CD review
- Text-based drama: Handel's Jephtha from The Sixteen - CD review
- Early baroque polyphony: The Sixteen at Temple Church - concert review
- Window onto 17th Century German opera: Boxberg's Sardanapalus - CD review
- Early Music galore: Greenwich Early Music Festival - concert review
- Regie-theater by numbers: Mozart'sIdomeneo at Covent Garden - opera review
- Home
No comments:
Post a Comment