Stabat Mater / Gioachino Rossini

Choral Fantasy, Opus 80 / Ludwig van Beethoven

Symphony of Sorrowful Songs (Mvmt II) / Henryk Gorecki

Dror Biran, pianist (Beethoven)
Edith Davis Tidwell, soprano (Gorecki and Rossini)

Maggie Schwenker, mezzo-soprano
Aaron Lundy, tenor
Zachary Cavan, bass-baritone

Pre-concert program with David Paul Gibson: 1:45 pm

Though best known for his masterful operas, Rossini also composed two religious works. Stabat Mater is a solemn and profoundly moving composition based on the sorrow of Mary. It is accompanied by the second movement Gorecki’s Symphony of Sorrowful Songs, a piece distinguished by its haunting themes of motherhood and separation. The program is introduced and balanced by Beethoven’s brilliant Choral Fantasy.