Stabat Mater

The programme’s centrepiece is Domenico Scarlatti’s Stabat Mater (The mother stood). Though mainly known for his 550 harpsichord sonatas, Scarlatti also composed operas and a lot of church music during his younger years in Naples. The most famous of these is the Stabat Mater, written in 1715 for no less than ten voices. With ‘flawless singing’ and a ‘rich sound’, Cappella Amsterdam achieves a perfect balance, according to Music Web International.

Usually, the focus is on Jesus’ suffering, but this time it’s his mother’s. In addition to Scarlatti’s work, five other Italian choral works about the suffering of the Virgin Mary will be performed. From the 18th-century Italians Leo and Lotti to a specially commissioned work by Silvia Borzelli, fresh from the pen.