Antonio Vivaldi’s Stabat Mater, RV. 621 was first performed during Holy Week in 1712 at Santa Maria della Pace in the Northern Italian city of Brescia. The text, a 13th century poem which has been attributed to numerous authors, is a sorrowful meditation on Mary’s suffering during the crucifixion of Christ.
Scored for solo alto (originally castrato) and orchestra, Vivaldi’s Stabat Mater sets only the first ten of the poem’s twenty stanzas. Its eight movements draw us into a drama which is intimate and solitary. With a sense of economy and stasis, we are confined to an inner world of anguish and lament. Harmonically, the music remains locked in two keys—F minor and C minor, with a glimmer of sunlight arriving only with the final “Amen.” Melodically, movements 4 through 6 are a repeat of the opening three movements. A descending two-note ostinato figure in the Eia Mater evokes the gradual slipping away of life, or perhaps the drip of tears.
This 1995 recording features the German countertenor, Andreas Scholl, with Chiara Banchini and Ensemble 415:
Recordings
- Vivaldi: Stabat Mater, RV. 621, Andreas Scholl, Chiara Banchini, Ensemble 415 Amazon
- Jan Tomasz Adamus, Jakub Józef Orliński, and Capella Cracoviensis
- Christopher Hogwood, James Bowman, and the Academy of Ancient Music
Featured Image: the cupola of Santa Maria della Pace in Brescia where Vivaldi’s Stabat Mater was first performed, photograph by RobyBS89