Haydn: Stabat Mater

With the recording of Joseph Haydn's "Stabat Mater", René Jacobs returns to a composer who has always been close to his heart throughout his long career. The recording features a first-class cast with the Kammerorchester Basel, the Zurich Singakademie and an excellent quartet of vocal soloists (Birgitte Christensen, Kristina Hammarström, Steve Davislim and Christian Immler). In setting the Latin text, which describes the tragic end of the life of Jesus Christ, Haydn succeeded in finding a balance between dramatic pathos, expression and a rather calm, detached presentation, which suited his aesthetic orientation. The present recording is based on an edition from 1803 with an expanded wind ensemble, which was created with the help of Haydn's student Sigismund Neukomm and makes the work even more dramatic and colorful.