Stabat Mater by Pergolesi

Two of Bach’s finest cantatas, both for solo alto, composed in Weimar (1714) and Leipzig (1726) respectively, are here coupled with Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater of 1736, the eighteenth century’s favourite sacred work.

The gap between the austere Lutheran piety and searing Mediterranean emotionalism might seem unbridgeable. Yet Bach so admired the composition of his Neopolitan colleague that he made his own ‘parody’ of it to a German text. On this recording, La Nuova Musica and it’s two eminent soloists display equal mastery of both idioms. Counter-tenor Tim Mead is praised for his “alluring…consistently excellent” interpretations (The New York Times). With his “rich, mellifluous sound” (Guardian), he is recognised as one of the finest across the generations of counter-tenors. Described as having a voice of bell-like clarity with an impeccable vocal technique and powerful stage presence, Lucy Crowe has established herself as one of the leading lyric sopranos of her generation.