Sophie Lavoie

Stabat Mater

Gioachino Rossini (1792-1868) began work on his version of the traditional hymn, Stabat Mater, in 1831 at the request of one Fernández Varela. As ill health kept Rossini from completing the commission, he enlisted the help of his friend Giovanni Tadolini to finish the movement he could not. This was the version presented to Varela, though Rossini did not intend the work for publication as it was not wholly composed by him. However, Varela's heirs sold the work to a Parisian publisher upon Varela's death, sparking lawsuits as to the ownership. This resulted in Rossini taking it upon himself to finally discard the parts written by Tadolini and finish those sections himself, doing so by 1841. It was this version that premiered in Paris at the Théâtre-Italien's Salle Ventadour on January 7, 1842, with resounding success. Since its premiere, Rossini's Stabat Mater has remained a regular work in the choral repertoire, moving and thrilling audiences for approaching 200 years. Instrumentation: 2.2.2.2: 4.2.3.0: Timp: Str (4-4-3-3-3 in set): Soli SSATB: Mix Chor.