Stabat Mater by Dvořák, ne 21 lis 2021, Od (2021/2021), Dirigent José Antonio Sainz Alfaro, Teatro Arriaga, Bilbao, Spain

The Stabat Mater, a 13th-century poem that describes in 20 lines the imagined sufferings of the Virgin Mary at the foot of the cross, has attracted composers over the centuries, from Palestrina and Vivaldi to Rossini to more recent K Jenkins. Dvořák's, divided into 10 wonderfully varied but also completely coherent movements, was started in 1876, in memory of his daughter Josefa. The complete score was completed in 1877 after the death of two other sons. Carrying such a terrible burden of personal pain, this work by Dvořák is unusual in choral concert programs, largely due to its length and the profound sadness it expresses.