Customer Reviews

Pergolesi: Stabat Mater /Bonney * Scholl * Les Talens Lyriques * Rousset

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(5)
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I rarely disagree with Matthew Westphal, but this is one of those rare occasions where I must say that he's wrong. This recording is NOT likely to disappoint, whether or not you are a dedicated fan of Bonney and/or Scholl (I'm not). Perhaps this recording was not urgently needed - there are countless other versions of Pergolesi Stabat Mater in the catalogue. So it may well have been that Decca arranged for this recording mainly to cash in on its two brightest young stars (if you ask me, Scholl's Heroes recital was probably the result of the same kind of marketing ploy). But the result is, nevertheless, wonderful. The first aspect of this recording that immediately stands out is the exquisite blend of the two voices. Both voices are similar in tone and warmth; and both seem to be best suited to slow, contemplative music. Some of the faster passages may have benefited from more imagination (I dind't like track 4), but the slower passages are outright hypnotic. I particularly enjoyed tracks 9 and 12. Maybe, in the view of some people "hypnotic" will immediately translate into "undercharacterized," but I meant this epithet as a praise. There are moments in this performance that will simply stop you in your tracks. Scholl's voice is especially effective in the lower register - it amazes me how low he can go without switching out of falsetto. The singers' interpretation of the material is not inventive, but it is graceful and refined, in a way that will probably appeal to the majority of listeners. Hey, simplicity is not always bland! gkolomietz@yahoo.com

By far the best version published so far. Scholl and Bonney give rare depth and warmth to this lament and are masterly directed by Rousset. An absolute must in any classical collection. I now have 7 different versions and with all respect for previous editions, this one tops everything.

The "Stabat Mater" is a marvelous work and if you are looking for a recording of it, you might consider this one because of the two Salva Regina's which accompany it on this recording. Mr. Rousset did an excellent job of programing by putting these works toghether.

For the Stabat Mater, I find it difficult to review interpretations of works I have studied carefully because I find I must fight the urge to critique differences of opinion (in tempi or ornamentation, say) rather than the execution of the decisions made.

There are a few movements in this recording that are more "spirited" than other interpretations, which takes away from the marvelous interplay between Mr. Scholl and Ms. Bonney. They really do sound very good together. I might have cast a soprano with a more bright sound to go with the brilliance of the Counter-tenor, but I nit-pick. I am heartened to see the resurgance of the counter-tenor in these early music performances.

When I bought this CD, I did so for the voices of soprano, Barbara Bonney and countertenor, Andreas Scholl. Giovanni Pergolesi was really only a name in a music history book. I knew he was Italian and that he lived sometime in the 18th century. I had no idea, for instance, that of all notable composers, his was the shortest life: at 26 he died 9 years younger than Mozart and 5 years younger than Schubert. I also knew some bits and pieces of his most famous work, the opera LA SERVA PADRONA.

I was not at all prepared for the truly astoundingly beautiful, somber, medatative, moving STABAT MATER. This is really wonderful music. The performance here, with period instruments under Christophe Rousset, is first rate. Bonney and Scholl sing beautifully together and in their solos. It is a dramatic performance worth owning. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

I was not familiar with the works of G.B. Pergolesi until I saw the Québécois film «Jésus de Montréal,» which used a portion of Pergolesi's Stabat Mater (Quando Corpus Morietur) in the film. I am completely devoted to Andreas Scholl's gorgeous voice, and own almost all of his solo recordings and several of his ensemble works. I had previously purchased Scholl's recording of Vivaldi's Stabat Mater and was interested to hear another interpretation of the Stabat Mater by yet another Baroque Italian composer.

Next to Matthäuspassion by Bach, this has become my favourite Baroque religious work. Since purchasing this version of Stabat Mater, I have also bought the June Anderson/Cecilia Bartoli version and the Sara Mingardo/Gemma Bertagnolli version for comparison, but this is still my favourite and will remain so. Andreas Scholl is able to truly convey a sense of passionate melancholy and a adds a touch of the divine to this listening experience.

This recording of Pergolesi's gem enters an already impressive field. In general, Les Talens Lyriques under Christophe Rousset's direction offer committed playing, just missing the level of accomplishment that Gardiner's Monteverdi or Jacobs' Berlin Alte Musik orchestras might accomplish with the same soloists. Decca's current darling lyric soubrette, Barbara Bonney sings with generally solid tone and dedication although her vibrato sometimes interferes with the delicacy of the vocal writing. It is also woth noting, I think, that Ms. Bonney substitutes (as do most modern singers) a widened, quickened vibrato for true trilling. Counter-tenor Andreas Scholl sings well and makes a very strong case for the use of a male voice in the contralto role. His technique is more sound than Ms. Bonney's, and his pure singing comtributes excitement to this recording which often threatens to become dull. The Italianate, lyric qualities are highlighted on this recording rather than the bittersweet evocation of the Passion and suffering which make the score so moving in a proper context. In short, a recommendable recording as an introduction to the work or for enjoyment of the beautiful music.

I have read such a lot of tendentious rubbish about various recordings of this simplest, most celebrated and sublime masterpiece that I though it might be enlightening to attempt a comparison across three disparate versions of it, each representing one, particular, entrenched interpretative camp. That's difficult; there are so many to choose from and so many have merit, as this music can survive a whole range of approaches, but I plumped for these three: Alessandri on the Naive label (cutting edge HIP; slimmer voices); Abbado (old-fashioned, traditional, big-sound; singers operatic with vibrato); and Rousset (compromise: original instruments but more relaxed tempi and somewhat more operatic voices). I am amused at some of the more condescending pronouncements made de haut en bas by the "period Nazis"; we really do not always know a) how the music sounded when it was first played; b) what the composer actually wanted; c) what he would have liked - which is not necessarily the same thing as point "b"! In the end we must forget dogma and say what moves us today.

The results of my comparison are necessarily subjective and skewed to my ears and taste, but I thought they might be of interest to anyone picking their way through the plethora of choices available.

All enjoy beautiful sound and I don't propose to waste much time on that. Regarding tempi, the Alessandri goes to extremes, sometimes breathlessly fast ("Quae moerebat")and sometimes lugubriously clumsy and plonking (opening movement "Stabat mater") with heavy accents on the first beat of every bar. The Abbado is Romantically leisurely and inclined to lack contrast, but the suspended harmonies of that famous opening have a stately grandeur which instantly transports the listener into a spiritual realm. Rousset is inclined to rush but represents a juste milieu between the other two and his "period accents" are more discreet than those of Alessandri. Orchestral accompaniment: obviously Abbado has big band but it does not by any means overwhelm his singers. Alessandri has a small, period band with its usual concomitant characteristics: lean, slightly vinegary string tone and great clarity. Rousset's original instruments seems to me to strike the right balance between amplitude and delicacy, being both sweeter and more yielding than those of Alessandri but obviously not as thick of texture as Abbado's LSO.

Finally, the singers: all three versions are decidedly well sung. Gemma Bertagnolli is neither as famous nor as lustrous-voiced as all the other singers concerned and it shows a little in the ordinariness of her vocal quality; both Margaret Marshall and Barbara Bonney are superior in bell-like clarity and limpid beauty of tone. I disagree with the complaints of some previous reviewers: neither of these latter two has so slow a vibrato that either intonation or harmonisation with the alto is obscured, and they do make concessions to the period. Mingardo has a lovely voice and copes remarkably well with the absurdly rushed tempo in the aforementioned "Quae moerebat", but that speed is wholly inappropriate to the emotion expressed by the text and I am a sucker for Scholl's and Valenti-Terrani's resonant, oboe-tones, especially as their conductors permit them more apt tempi. Scholl and Bonney also occasionally introduce some discreet ornamentation and lovely trills.

If you want a strictly authentic performance and also want the Vivaldi "Stabat mater" (surely no more than a workaday filler compared with Pergolesi's supreme work), you must go for the Alessandri; otherwise I prefer even the rather stolid Abbado purely for the quality of the singing and its sincerity of utterance and I wouldn't part with this disc, as it was the one which first introduced me to this music. The best of the three, however, remains the much-lauded Rousset/Scholl/Bonney version.

I am very happy that this recording appeared on the market - it simply solved my problem of finding the "Stabat Mater" I would listen to with musical pleasure and emotional involvement. Tempted by the "Gramophone" and "Penguin Guide" reviews, I bought Opus 111 CD with R. Alessandrini and after listening to it I decided that my search for a perfect "Stabat Mater" was not over yet. I am a little tired of scratchy violins - once a great "authentic instruments" devotee, now I am more and more inclined to follow a "beauty principle". I understand why Alessandrini's interpretation was so warmly welcomed by the critics and maybe after a few more sessions with this recording I would be overwhelmed by its power as they were. But happily Decca gave us the Bonney/Scholl recording and made me so happy that I could forget about Alessandrini's scratchy playing. The playing here is as polished as we can expect from well trained "authentic instruments" orchestras, but that is not what really matters. This intepretation brings not only a beautiful, sweet playing and singing, but conveys the drama behind the text - a perfect combination. I would recommend this CD to anybody who wants to have just one recording of this wonderful piece of music and of course to anybody interested in beautiful, sensitive singing. The CD contains two short "Salve Regina"s, delightful in their simplicity. One is taken by Scholl, the other by Bonney and their singing is breathtaking. What a wonderful record!

Matthew doesn't much like this recording of the work, but I disagree. Both soloists have spoken on the record of how much they enjoyed making the recording which perhaps undermines the theory that it was just a marketing ploy by Decca.

Bonney's voice may not be standard issue Baroque but she does a first rate job here and the two voices blend extremely well IMHO. Roussset's band is excellent.

The two versions of Salve Regina are delightful. I think Bonney chose the better of the two versions Vivaldi offers us here, but Andreas is clearly the more at home (in this genre) of the two singers - and nobody does sacred Baroque pathos better than the metaphysical Mr Scholl.

I only want one version of the Pergolesi Stabat Mater - this one.

I have three recordings and gone to see Andreas Scholl perform the Stabat Mater live. This CD is by far the best version. The orchestra also plays at the perfect speed- one version I have is too fast, and the other way too slow. This version has a much better "Quando Corpus" and "Amen"- Bonney's performance is strong.