Cheered to the rafters at its 1842 premiere, Rossini’s Stabat Mater has held its place in the repertoire ever since. Its nonchalant bel canto tunefulness, however, has attracted its fair share of detractors. True, the famous tenor aria Cujus Animam Gementem, which skips along like a Neapolitan street song, is an unusual setting for lyrics like “Her spirit groaning, saddened and grieving, a sword has pierced”. Yet Rossini writes with sincerity and, especially in the daringly unaccompanied choral sections, considerable power.
Nil Venditti was equally fervent. Her briskly animated account with the BBC Symphony Orchestra embraced the work’s lyricism while mining the score for theatrical nuggets in a pacy reading that favoured lithe-limbed drama over heavyweight grandeur. The BBC Symphony Chorus, bolstered by London’s semi-professional Epiphoni Consort, went with her cheek by jowl in a robust and disciplined performance, their crisp consonants landing with pinpoint precision.
