Vox Luminis: Stabat Mater

Belgian vocal ensemble, Vox Luminis have been praised for its seamless blend of high quality individual voices, exquisite tuning and clarity of sound. Critics have also commented on the ensemble’s enthusiasm for sharing their passion for early music with their audience.

Lionel Meunier has themed tonight’s programme around the Stabat Mater (Hymn to Mary) and combines seldom heard works with arguably the most famous setting of all by Scarlatti. Next to Lotti’s celebrated Cruxifixus for 8 voices, the audience has the opportunity to discover two rarely performed Lamentations. The first originates from the 8th century, and is performed in old French. The second by little known composer Allessandro della Ciaia from Sienna, the Lamentation Virginis in depositione Filii de Cruce, written in 1666. In this piece, Mary’s lament is interrupted by a chorus of Angels singing stanzas from the Stabat Mater poem, perfectly bridging the first half with the centrepiece of the programme – Scarlatti’s Stabat Mater. In this final piece the emotionally charged text finds one of its finest musical settings, expressed through a combination of extreme harmony and poetically tender passages.

This promises to be an evening of Italian Baroque music at its finest.

Part of Choral at Cadogan 2013/14

From 6.30pm: Pre-concert foyer performance by K’antu Ensemble
This award-winning group performs a colourful and energetic blend of folk and world with early music.