PENTATONE releases Dvořák: Stabat Mater, featuring Hanna-Elisabeth Müller, Roxana Constantinescu, Christian Elsner, Tareq Nazmi, MDR Leipzig Radio Choir, Dresdner Philharmonie & Marek Janowski, in March 2025.
A Subtle, Yet Profoundly Moving Stabat Mater
The Dresdner Philharmonie and Marek Janowski present a recording of Antonín Dvořák’s Stabat Mater, together with the MDR Leipzig Radio Choir, Hanna-Elisabeth Müller (soprano), Roxana Constantinescu (mezzo-soprano), Christian Elsner (tenor) and Tareq Nazmi (bass). In terms of scope and duration, Dvořák’s Stabat Mater is the largest setting of this sacred text to date. Likely inspired by the tragic death of all his three children – in the timespan of just two years – the work is heartrending, yet establishes a gradual path from darkness to light, from despair to peace and hope; ascetic and restrained, yet full of suspense. This recording, made in connection to a live performance commemorating the bombing of Dresden, offers a rendition that never drags, avoids excessive sentimentality, and is all the more moving as a result.
Marek Janowski is one of the most celebrated conductors of our time and has a vast PENTATONE discography, chiefly consisting of German operas and symphonic works. From 2019 to 2023 he was Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the Dresdner Philharmonie. Dvořák’s Stabat Mater is his seventh PENTATONE recording with this orchestra, with whom he recently released Schubert’s Unfinished and Great Symphonies (2023), Schumann’s complete symphonies (2024), as well as Haydn’s Die Schöpfung (2024). The MDR Leipzig Radio Choir also appeared on that recording, has frequently featured on other PENTATONE recordings and starred on Bruckner Haydn Motets (2021) and Mendelssohn Choral Works (2023). Hanna-Elisabeth Müller released her solo albums Reine de cœur (2018) and Sinnbild; Strauss Songs (2022) on PENTATONE. Roxana Constantinescu featured on PENTATONE recordings of Mascagni’s Cavalleria rusticana and Puccini’s Il tabarro (both 2020), as well as Kodály & Bartók (2023). Christian Elsner also has a longstanding relationship with the label, including his solo recording of Schubert Lieder (2015). Tareq Nazmi appeared on the beforementioned recording of Die Schöpfung.
“Antonín Dvořák’s Stabat Mater is a work of profound emotional and spiritual power. Dvořák’s music unmistakably combines lamentation and hope and takes on a special significance in the context of the commemoration of the destruction of Dresden. A bridge between remembrance and reconciliation – a sound space in which individual and collective commemoration meet.
Working with Marek Janowski was an extraordinary artistic experience. His precise, stylistically clear, analytical, and at the same time deeply felt interpretation lends the work a remarkable expressiveness. It was a real privilege to work on this recording under his direction with the Dresdner Philharmonie and the MDR Leipzig Radio Choir.”
Hanna-Elisabeth Müller
Digital Release Date: 28 MARCH 2025
Physical Release: MARCH 2025
Released as a hybrid SACD and in digital formats for streaming and high-resolution downloads.
