Vespers of Sorrow

"A superb release, not to be missed! This will be my Record of the Year!"
- MusicWeb Nov 2004

The aim of the present programme is to combine works, which could have been used for an imagined vespers on the Catholic feast commemorating the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary - Our Lady of Sorrows. The place for this Vespers of Sorrow is the Ospedale della Pietà in Venice, the charitable institution with which Antonio Vivaldi was associated almost all of his active life. The date is the 15th of September 1727 - the year that this particular feast was extended to the entire Latin Church by Pope Benedict XIII. The sorrows that are commemorated at this feast include those experienced by the Holy Mother as she meets Jesus on his way to Calvary; stands at the foot of the Cross; witnesses Jesus being taken from the Cross and, finally, participates in the burial of Christ. >From works by Vivaldi that would be suitable for such an occasion, the performers have chosen Stabat Mater ('The grieving mother stood…') and Nisi Dominus, both for contralto and strings, as well as Magnificat in a version for soloists, choir and strings which we know was performed at the Ospedale della Pietà. (The names of the girls singing the solo parts are written into an existing score.) Included is also the instrumental sonata 'Al Santo Sepolcro' ('At the Holy Sepulchre'), and concluding the Vespers is a plainchant Salve Regina ('Hail, O Queen…'). This unusual and highly moving programme is presented by the young Polish counter-tenor Jakub Burzynski, who with this disc makes his début on BIS. Burzynski sings both soprano and alto solos, as well as directing the baroque ensemble he himself has founded: La Tempesta, performing on original instruments (including percussion!) and including four singers. A dramatic and highly imaginative disc!