Information:

29 January
20:00
Nidaros Cathedral

Pergolesi: Stabat Mater

Pergolesi’s fame as a composer rests almost entirely on two works that could hardly be more different: the comic opera La serva padrona and his monumental Stabat mater. Not entirely unlike Mozart and his requiem, Pergolesi finished the Stabat Mater only weeks before dying at the tender age of 26. The work was to make him an almost mythical figure even among his contemporaries, and it has not lost any of its charm or splendour since.

The piece shall here be performed by the famous orchestra Le Poème Harmonique, led by the conductor Vincent Dumestre. Their production of the piece, which was released on CD through the Alpha label in 2015, seeks to recreate the context of the original Neapolitan performances, where Pergolesi’s music would be mixed with processions, the music of other composers and Neapolitan folk singing. The journey from Naples to Trondheim might demand a couple of adaptations, of course, but setting the piece in the northernmost medieval cathedral in the world gives other opportunities. We could not have asked for a better ensemble to give the work its Norwegian premiere, and promise a unique concert experience!

Programme:

Stabat Mater, Giovanni Battista Pergolesi (1710–1736)

Performers:

Le Poème harmonique (France), orchestra, choir and soloists
Vincent Dumestre, conductor