STABAT MATER

ANTONÍN DVOŘÁK Stabat Mater for solos, mixed choir and orchestra op. 58, B71 Jana Sibera soprano Václava Krejčí Housková alto Peter Berger tenor Jozef Benci bass Czech Philharmonic Choir Brno Choirmaster Petr Fiala Brno Philharmonic Orchestra Conductor Leoš Svárovský The text of the medieval liturgical sequence Stabat Mater Dolorosa is often attributed to the Franciscan monk Jacopo da Todi; in the form of a simple verse, it expresses the suffering of the mother of Jesus Christ, and by extension, of all mothers who lose their children. It was used in the liturgy until the second half of the 16th century, when it was removed from it. It returned to it in 1727 as part of the propria for the feast of the Sorrows of Our Lady, and has been regularly set to music by composers since then. Antonín Dvořák's Stabat Mater marked the beginning of the author's worldwide fame. The work was first performed by Adolf Čech on December 23, 1880 in Prague, followed by a performance in Brno conducted by Leoš Janáček on Palm Sunday in 1882.