STABAT MATER: PERGOLESI

Anoki von Arx (mezzo-soprano), Vasiliki Konstantinou (soprano) and Milena Romanova (piano), perform the Stabat Mater sequence, a 13th-century Christian hymn to Mary, which portrays her suffering as Jesus Christ's mother during his crucifixion. The title comes from its first line, Stabat Mater dolorosa, which means "the sorrowful mother was standing" and has been set to music by many Western composers, including Giovanni Battista Pergolesi, whose work will be presented. It is performed all the year round and especially at Easter. The programme also includes works by JS Bach, Handel, Chopin and Beethoven.

Giovanni Battista Pergolesi (1710-1736) finished the composition of his most famous piece, the Stabat Mater, at the age of 26, only a few weeks before his untimely death. The work was commissioned by a religious brotherhood in Naples for the liturgic ceremony for all Fridays in March, to replace Scarlatti’s piece of the same name. He set to…