Pergolesi: Stabat Mater; Salve Regina /Scholl · Bonney · Les Talens Lyriques · Rousset

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Editorial reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review
Certainly the sombre beauty of Pergolesi's Stabat Mater for soprano, alto, and strings has a lot to do with its popularity. But it must be said that the story of the 26-year-old composer completing the work on his deathbed has always been too romantic for the public--or the music business--to resist. "The instant his death was known," wrote the famous 18th-century traveller Dr Burney, "all Italy manifested an eager desire to hear and possess his productions." And so it's been ever since. In spite of the competition already on the market, it seems Decca just had to get its prize lyric soprano and hotshot young countertenor together to record the piece.

The result isn't bad as such: Barbara Bonney sings graciously and prettily, though with a sound better suited to Schumann or Strauss (for example, she lets her vibrato smudge the suspended dissonances that make the first movement so effective); Andreas Scholl gives a nicely judged, intelligent performance that would probably seem marvellous in another setting. But I can sense no spark at all: the whole recording feels as though it were made because Decca's marketing department thought it would be a good idea, not because the performers felt strongly about the music in any way. The two settings of the Salve Regina (one for each soloist; both share some material with the Stabat Mater) come off a bit better, but they aren't what you'd buy this disc for. Dedicated fans of Scholl and Bonney probably won't be (too) disappointed, but compared to the exemplary versions by Seminario Musicale or the thrilling Concerto Italiano, this one is hard to recommend. --Matthew Westphal

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Customer reviews

review by: date: 2008-03-19 rating:
Precisely measured and crafted.
It's a beautifully-made recording, with the two voices high in the mix, above the orchestra, often soaringly so. The cellos and double basses have a nice crunchiness underneath the sweetness of the higher notes and of the voices...I've listened to it often over the last year, always with pleasure, but not with the kind of emotion I'd perhaps expected. Perhaps it's because everything here sounds so very careful and exactly planned; each of the signature semi-tone slides is measured precisely, each ornament is crafted and thought-through. There's not a moment when any catch in the voice, or lingered-on long note gives away a fleeting glimpse of the singers/players being allowed to be caught up in it all. I suppose this fits a piece from the rational Enlightment. But sometimes I want a human touch, given the subject: grief and loss.

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review by: tony foley date: 2008-02-12 rating:
Christ's kenosis enacted perfectly in music
This moving music by the young Pergolesi with its exquisite orchestration achingly tells the story of the passion from a muscial perspective. Scholl's countertenor voice is ethereal. Let this music accompany you through lent.

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review by: date: 2005-03-11 rating:
Almost... but not quite...
Anyone who had the good fortune to hear Andreas sing the Stabat Mater with his sister at the late night prom in the Albert Hall a few years back(31 Aug 1999), will wonder why he chose to record it with Barbara Bonney. True... a nice enough recording, but only a fraction of the searing heat in the opening section ... If the Stabat Mater is missing in your collection then this is not a bad one to get.

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review by: date: 2002-03-16 rating:
Sublime
This recording makes me want to weep - both singers have such fantastic command of their beautiful voices. It is certainly 100s times better than some of the early recordings where the orchestra is too heavy and everything is too slow. I am certainly going to buy this.


review by: date: 2001-08-22 rating:
Stunning!
A beautiful recording of this wonderful piece of music. Scholl and Bonney's voices are wonderful. For those that like Pergolesi's music, this recording is a must!

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