Rossini's Stabat Mater

A deeply religious meditation from the man behind lighthearted operaslike *TheBarber of Seville*? Rossini proved it was possible. His*Stabat Mater*is an emotional union of comforting piety and operatic grandeur. A work that leaves no one unmoved. Especially when it is preceded by two other deeply felt masterpieces by Busoni and Strauss. A concert that is a bittersweet delight.

Rossini Retired?
Starting in 1830, Gioachino Rossini turned his back on opera and planned to enjoy a long retirement. When, a year later, while traveling through Spain, he was asked to write aStabat Mater, he simply couldn’t resist composing it. It wasn’t until 1841 that the version we know today was completed. Despite fierce opposition from the young Wagner, the work was acclaimed right from its premiere.

Young Strauss Contemplates Death
Whereasthe *Stabat Mater*focuses on a mother’s suffering following the death of her son, Strauss’s*Tod und Verklärung*deals with the “blissful” death of a composer. A striking detail: Strauss was only 25 years old when he wrote this work. On his deathbed, some sixty years later, he told his daughter-in-law: ‘Dying is just as I composed it inTod und Verklärung.’