Dvork: Stabat Mater (Mariss Janson) (CD, Br-Klassik)

Dvorák’s haunting Stabat mater for solo voices, choir and orchestra is not only the most famous church music work by the Bohemian composer, it is also one of the most impressive settings of medieval poetry in which Mary, the mother of Jesus, vividly expresses the pain for her crucified son. One reason for this may have been the severe blows of fate in Dvorák’s private life that accompanied the creation of the work. Above all, the continuous expression of deeply felt inwardness gives this music a special dignity. The concert on March 26, 2015 in the Herkulessaal of the Munich Residenz was able to implement precisely this urgency: the four renowned soloists were well prepared. The Bavarian Radio Choir once again demonstrated that crystal-clear sound and immense plasticity for which it is repeatedly praised in the highest tones. And the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks played Dvorák’s poignant music under the overall direction of Mariss Jansons, who died in 2019, authentically and entirely in the spirit of the composer: sensibly felt and yet with all the resonant sonic splendor. The live recording of Dvorák’s Stabat mater will be re-released by BR Klassik on a well-equipped CD.