Antonín Dvořák
Stabat Mater, Op. 58

Kateřina Kněžíková – soprano
Jarmila Balážová – mezzosoprano
Richard Samek – tenor
Jan Šťáva – bass
Czech Philharmonic Choir of Brno
Petr Fiala – choirmaster
Janáček Philharmonic Ostrava
Vassily Sinaisky – the chief conductor JPO

Dvořák’s oratorio Stabat Mater is an exceptionally suggestive piece, it is a text set to music which tells a story about the suffering of a mother whose son is dying on the cross, but also a general testimony of mankind’s grief and hope. Despite its monumentality, Stabat Mater remains a plain music, filled with humility in front of the highest order. The defining feature of the composition is the unusually noble musical expression, it presents complex ideas, yet it is free of triviality and shallow effects. A distinct point of the sheet music is the beauty of its music, purposefully making use of the connection of the human voice with soft but rich orchestral colors.

The death of Dvořák’s three children is usually cited as the reason for the creation of the oratorio. The composer wrote the first version of the piece about half a year after the death of the first child, his daughter Josefa. It is possible that if it was not for the deaths of the other two children in the following year, Dvořák would not work on the piece again. Despite the tragic experience, the composer did not succumb to hopelessness, his music does not reflect resignation, on the contrary, even through the veil of tears we can hear the faith in life. After an outstandingly successful London premier on 10^th March 1883, the whole world became interested in the composition.