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Stanford -- Stabat Mater

This is another one of those pieces about which you may justifiably wonder why it's not better known. No, it's not a major masterpiece, but it IS high quality music. It repays repeated listening, as the themes and Stanford's handling of them sink in and become familiar. I even found some of the themes playing in my head during the week after listening.

The only shortcoming is the ending. It seems that Stanford was going for consolation, but that's not quite the effect I get out of it.

Also - and very, very importantly - is that the thing doesn't end on the tonic. Instead, it stops on the leading tone. What the heck? Was there some uncorrected error in the score? Didn't conductor Hickox notice? It seems unlikely that a composer of Stanford's stripe - even in 1909 - would do something such as that.

As for the recording, it's in the echoic, distant Chandos vein. I really dislike that kind of sound. Live music never sounds that way - even from the lobby. On the plus side, the vocal soloists are solidly placed, and the organ is nicely audible. But, details such as the harp require effort to hear.

The choir is massive, and sounds that way. Later, after my first audition, I read the liner notes and found that the choir's about 200 strong. But - and it's a big but - it sounds as if they use nothing but boy sopranos. I really hate that. Of all of the annoying, irritating, provincial things about British culture, their adherance to the medieval, pseudo-homo use of pre-pubescent boys rather than women is the worse [eclipsing even their idiotic adding of the "r" sound to words ending in "a" - such as when they say 'AmericaR' or 'President ObamaR']. During the middle ages, women weren't allowed on stage in the theater, nor as singers in choirs - thus their use of young boys - 800 years ago. The fact that time has marched on seems to be lost on Her Majesty's empire.

Nevertheless, the music's enjoyable and worthwhile. So, thanks to Mr. Marks for bringing the music to our collective attention.
Severius! Supremus Invictus

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Topic - Stanford -- Stabat Mater - Newey 20:49:07 10/24/15 (84)
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