Pentatone releases Pergolesi: Stabat Mater – Vivaldi: Nisi Dominus, together with PRJCT Amsterdam and its artistic director Maarten Engeltjes, in March 2024.
A Profound and Deeply Relatable Interpretation of Two Baroque Masterworks
PRJCT Amsterdam and its artistic director Maarten Engeltjes present two of the greatest vocal works of the baroque era: Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater and Vivaldi’s Nisi Dominus. While Vivaldi’s virtuosic piece contemplates the helplessness of people when God does not support their efforts, Pergolesi’s portrait of the weeping Mary at the Cross embodies what the “nameless” parents of a deceased child go through. In the Stabat Mater, Engeltjes’s counter-tenor blends together seamlessly and soothingly with Shira Patchornik’s soprano voice, resulting in an interpretation that is both profound and deeply relatable.
PRJCT Amsterdam is a young, innovative baroque ensemble centered around counter-tenor Maarten Engeltjes, and founded in 2017. Engeltjes is one of the most sought-after countertenors of today, working with several of the most esteemed early music groups and conductors. After having won multiple major baroque competitions, soprano Shira Patchornik is quickly establishing herself as an important singer on the opera and concert stage. All artists make their Pentatone debut.
“The great thing is that music is alive. It is not a painting that you can walk around endlessly but that essentially does not change. Pergolesi’s ‘Stabat Mater’ shall sound. I notice again and again at concerts how deeply moving the piece can be.
Maarten Engeltjes
I think that the psalm on which Vivaldi bases his ‘Nisi Dominus’ does not get under our skin, as it does with Pergolesi. The words remain rather abstract, contemplating the helplessness of people when God does not support their efforts. But the music and the demands it places on the voice are beyond measure.”
Digital Release Date: 29 MARCH 2024
Physical Release: MARCH 2024
Released as 1 Standard CD and in digital formats for streaming and high-resolution downloads.
