Unlimited Streaming
Listen to this album in high quality now on our apps
Start my trial period and start listening to this albumEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
SubscribeEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
Digital Download
Purchase and download this album in a wide variety of formats depending on your needs.
Antonín Dvorák's Stabat Mater, Op. 58, truly merits the adjective "tragic"; it was written after the deaths of two of the composer's children in succession, and his grief rolled out in great, Verdian waves. There are several strong recordings on the market, including an earlier one by conductor Jiří Bělohlávek himself, but for the combination of deep feeling, technical mastery from musicians and singers who have spent their lives getting to know the score, and soloists who not only sound beautiful but are seamlessly integrated into the flow, this Decca release may be the king of them all. To what extent was the strength of the performance motivated by Bělohlávek's likely fatal illness (he died days after the album entered the top levels of classical charts in the spring of 2017)? It's hard to say, although he also delivered top-notch performances of Dvorák's Requiem in his last days. The members of the Prague Philharmonic Choir sing their hearts out in the gigantic, shattering opening chorus, which has rarely if ever had such a mixture of the impassioned and the perfectly controlled. Sample the chorus "Virgo virginium praeclara" to hear the magically suspended quality Bělohlávek brings out of the singers in lightly accompanied passages. The soloists, soprano Eri Nakamura, mezzo Elisabeth Kulman, tenor Michael Spyres, and bass Jongmin Park -- an international group in this otherwise almost all-Czech production -- are uniformly strong, but what stands out most is how inevitable their entrances sound. If this turns out to be Bělohlávek's swan song, it is an accomplishment for the ages. Highest possible recommendation.
© TiVo
You are currently listening to samples.
Listen to over 100 million songs with an unlimited streaming plan.
Listen to this playlist and more than 100 million songs with our unlimited streaming plans.
From £10.83/month
Stabat Mater, Op. 58, B.71 (Antonín Dvořák)
Antonín Dvorák, Composer - Elisabeth Kulman, Contralto, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Jirí Belohlávek, Conductor, MainArtist - Andrew Walton, Producer, Recording Producer - Prague Philharmonic Choir, Chorus, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Eri Nakamura, Soprano, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Michael Spyres, Tenor, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Philip Siney, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Czech Philharmonic, Orchestra, MainArtist - Jongmin Park, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, Bass (Vocal)
℗ 2017 Czech Philharmonic
Antonín Dvorák, Composer - Elisabeth Kulman, Contralto, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Jirí Belohlávek, Conductor, MainArtist - Andrew Walton, Producer, Recording Producer - Eri Nakamura, Soprano, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Michael Spyres, Tenor, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Philip Siney, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Czech Philharmonic, Orchestra, MainArtist - Jongmin Park, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, Bass (Vocal)
℗ 2017 Czech Philharmonic
Antonín Dvorák, Composer - Jirí Belohlávek, Conductor, MainArtist - Andrew Walton, Producer, Recording Producer - Prague Philharmonic Choir, Chorus, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Philip Siney, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Czech Philharmonic, Orchestra, MainArtist
℗ 2017 Czech Philharmonic
Antonín Dvorák, Composer - Jirí Belohlávek, Conductor, MainArtist - Andrew Walton, Producer, Recording Producer - Prague Philharmonic Choir, Chorus, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Philip Siney, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Czech Philharmonic, Orchestra, MainArtist - Jongmin Park, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, Bass (Vocal)
℗ 2017 Czech Philharmonic
Antonín Dvorák, Composer - Jirí Belohlávek, Conductor, MainArtist - Andrew Walton, Producer, Recording Producer - Prague Philharmonic Choir, Chorus, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Philip Siney, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Czech Philharmonic, Orchestra, MainArtist
℗ 2017 Czech Philharmonic
Antonín Dvorák, Composer - Jirí Belohlávek, Conductor, MainArtist - Andrew Walton, Producer, Recording Producer - Prague Philharmonic Choir, Chorus, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Michael Spyres, Tenor, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Philip Siney, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Czech Philharmonic, Orchestra, MainArtist
℗ 2017 Czech Philharmonic
Antonín Dvorák, Composer - Jirí Belohlávek, Conductor, MainArtist - Andrew Walton, Producer, Recording Producer - Prague Philharmonic Choir, Chorus, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Philip Siney, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Czech Philharmonic, Orchestra, MainArtist
℗ 2017 Czech Philharmonic
Antonín Dvorák, Composer - Jirí Belohlávek, Conductor, MainArtist - Andrew Walton, Producer, Recording Producer - Eri Nakamura, Soprano, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Michael Spyres, Tenor, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Philip Siney, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Czech Philharmonic, Orchestra, MainArtist
℗ 2017 Czech Philharmonic
Antonín Dvorák, Composer - Elisabeth Kulman, Contralto, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Jirí Belohlávek, Conductor, MainArtist - Andrew Walton, Producer, Recording Producer - Philip Siney, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Czech Philharmonic, Orchestra, MainArtist
℗ 2017 Czech Philharmonic
Antonín Dvorák, Composer - Elisabeth Kulman, Contralto, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Jirí Belohlávek, Conductor, MainArtist - Andrew Walton, Producer, Recording Producer - Prague Philharmonic Choir, Chorus, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Eri Nakamura, Soprano, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Michael Spyres, Tenor, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Philip Siney, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Czech Philharmonic, Orchestra, MainArtist - Jongmin Park, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, Bass (Vocal)
℗ 2017 Czech Philharmonic
Album review
Antonín Dvorák's Stabat Mater, Op. 58, truly merits the adjective "tragic"; it was written after the deaths of two of the composer's children in succession, and his grief rolled out in great, Verdian waves. There are several strong recordings on the market, including an earlier one by conductor Jiří Bělohlávek himself, but for the combination of deep feeling, technical mastery from musicians and singers who have spent their lives getting to know the score, and soloists who not only sound beautiful but are seamlessly integrated into the flow, this Decca release may be the king of them all. To what extent was the strength of the performance motivated by Bělohlávek's likely fatal illness (he died days after the album entered the top levels of classical charts in the spring of 2017)? It's hard to say, although he also delivered top-notch performances of Dvorák's Requiem in his last days. The members of the Prague Philharmonic Choir sing their hearts out in the gigantic, shattering opening chorus, which has rarely if ever had such a mixture of the impassioned and the perfectly controlled. Sample the chorus "Virgo virginium praeclara" to hear the magically suspended quality Bělohlávek brings out of the singers in lightly accompanied passages. The soloists, soprano Eri Nakamura, mezzo Elisabeth Kulman, tenor Michael Spyres, and bass Jongmin Park -- an international group in this otherwise almost all-Czech production -- are uniformly strong, but what stands out most is how inevitable their entrances sound. If this turns out to be Bělohlávek's swan song, it is an accomplishment for the ages. Highest possible recommendation.
© TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 10 track(s)
- Total length: 01:23:01
- 1 Digital booklet
- Main artist: Jiří Bělohlávek
- Composer: Antonín Dvořák
- Label: Decca Music Group Ltd.
- Genre: Classical Sacred Vocal Music
© 2017 Decca Music Group Limited, under exclusive license to Verve Label Group, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc ℗ 2017 Czech Philharmonic
Improve album information
Why buy on Qobuz...
-
Stream or download your music
Buy an album or an individual track. Or listen to our entire catalogue with our high-quality unlimited streaming subscriptions.
-
Zero DRM
The downloaded files belong to you, without any usage limit. You can download them as many times as you like.
-
Choose the format best suited for you
Download your purchases in a wide variety of formats (FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF...) depending on your needs.
-
Listen to your purchases on our apps
Download the Qobuz apps for smartphones, tablets and computers, and listen to your purchases wherever you go.
Playlists