Choral Singing / Music from Italian Masters
Dates:
Saturday, 6 May 2017, 8 pm
Sunday, 7 May 2017, 2 pm
Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House
Reviews:
Rossini Stabat Mater (Sydney Philharmonia Choirs), by Clive Paget. LimelightMagazine.Com. May 7, 2017.
The Passion and Powers of Italian Prayers. www.garjones.com. May 7, 2017.
Unfortunately, Sydney Philharmonia Choirs don't have a video recording of Stabat Mater that I can share; in place, I've included this performance of Gioachino Rossini's Stabat Mater performed by hr-Sinfonieorchester (Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra) ∙ Solisten ∙ MDR Rundfunkchor ∙ Andrés Orozco-Estrada. With soloists Marina Rebeka, Sopran ∙ Marina Comparato, Mezzosopran ∙ Michele Angelini, Tenor ∙ Marco Spotti, Bass ∙ MDR Rundfunkchor ∙ Andrés Orozco-Estrada, Dirigent ∙ Rheingau Musik Festival 2015∙ YouTube, uploaded by FRankfurt Radio Symphony. Accessed April 30, 2021.
Rossini Stabat Mater and Opera Highlights from Italian Masters
Dates:
Saturday, 6 May 2017, 8 pm
Sunday, 7 May 2017, 2 pm
Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House
Reviews:
Rossini Stabat Mater (Sydney Philharmonia Choirs), by Clive Paget. LimelightMagazine.Com. May 7, 2017.
The Passion and Powers of Italian Prayers. www.garjones.com. May 7, 2017.
Experience the celestial power of the voice. Soloists and choir
perform highlights from the operas of the Italian masters which find characters addressing heaven, from Moses leading his people in prayer to a glorious Easter Hymn in an Italian village.
When masters of the stage compose sacred music, they create work as powerfully dramatic as any opera. Gioachino Rossini, best known as a composer of brilliant comedy and moving tragedy, also wrote a handful of choral masterpieces after his early retirement from the theatre. Like his operas, they celebrate the beauty of the human voice, none more so
than his Stabat Mater.
This medieval poem describing Mary’s contemplation of her son on the cross is a vividly drawn drama in its own right and it has elicited profound musical responses from composers for centuries. Rossini sets the words with exquisite sensitivity to emotion and mood in the manner of his grandest operas, including virtuoso solos and ensembles and overwhelming choruses, sweeping listeners up in a gripping, living narrative.
When masters of the stage compose sacred music, they create work as powerfully dramatic as any opera. Gioachino Rossini, best known as a composer of brilliant comedy and moving tragedy, also wrote a handful of choral masterpieces after his early retirement from the theatre. Like his operas, they celebrate the beauty of the human voice, none more so
than his Stabat Mater.This medieval poem describing Mary’s contemplation of her son on the cross is a vividly drawn drama in its own right and it has elicited profound musical responses from composers for centuries. Rossini sets the words with exquisite sensitivity to emotion and mood in the manner of his grandest operas, including virtuoso solos and ensembles and overwhelming choruses, sweeping listeners up in a gripping, living narrative.
Unfortunately, Sydney Philharmonia Choirs don't have a video recording of Stabat Mater that I can share; in place, I've included this performance of Gioachino Rossini's Stabat Mater performed by hr-Sinfonieorchester (Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra) ∙ Solisten ∙ MDR Rundfunkchor ∙ Andrés Orozco-Estrada. With soloists Marina Rebeka, Sopran ∙ Marina Comparato, Mezzosopran ∙ Michele Angelini, Tenor ∙ Marco Spotti, Bass ∙ MDR Rundfunkchor ∙ Andrés Orozco-Estrada, Dirigent ∙ Rheingau Musik Festival 2015∙ YouTube, uploaded by FRankfurt Radio Symphony. Accessed April 30, 2021.