Stabat Mater Salve Regina

UNIQUE AND WONDERFULLY PERFORMED PERGOLESI !
Truly unique is this wonderfully performed 'Stabat Mater' and to think that I almost passed it up!I have two discs of this piece that I cherish, especially the Michael Chance-Gillian Fisher 1987 recording. But the uniqueness of this performance that features male Soprano and a countertenor intrigued me, and what a great surprise and treat it is to hear this combination of two male voices performing the beautiful 'Stabat Mater'.

Lest you be confused by the terminology of male soprano and countertenor, they are both falsetto voices; one lies in the very high register, and one in the lower register, but neither one is the 'root' voice of the singer. For example Chance speaks and also sings in a baritone voice, but as he says,you don't want to hear that particular singing voice. As for Waschinski, I can't say for certain what his 'root' voice is, but I would suspect that it might be of a tenor quality; just a guess.

A short life and a merry one was that of Giovanni Battista Pergolesi (1710-1736). He loved life, lived it to the hilt during his twenty-six years, and conveyed it to his music in the form of radiant vitality.

And this truly superior rendition of his "Stabat Mater" displays it to a maximum degree!The melting soprano of Jorg Washinski and Michael Chance's yearning countertenor make the perfect vocal combination to do justice to Stabat Mater, one of the supreme Baroque masterpieces. With the Cologne Chamber Orchestra under Helmut Muller-Bruhl, they capture the work's boldly operatic qualities, with occasional dissonance,as much as its tenderness and solemn beauty. The Salve Regina in C minor, also dating from Pergolesi' last months, bears the same lyric elquence.

This disc was recorded in 2003, sixteen years after Chance's previous recording, and believe me, his voice remains resonant, refined, rich with expression and flexible; nothing lost over the years.

Jorg Waschinski is incredible with his strong, clear and very expressive delivery, so put both of these superb singers together with the Cologne Chamber Orchestra conducted by Helmut Muller-Bruhl, and you have a truly superior listening experience!

THE OBSERVER: "With the Cologne Chamber Orchestra, under Helmut Muller-Bruhl, they capture the work's boldly operatic qualities, with occasional dissonance, as its tenderness and solemn beauty."

Accompanying booklet includes pertinent information in English as well as a complete Latin text with translation.

One can hopefully assume that the music on this disk is fairly well known by the baroque and classical listening public. But what is most amazing about this recording is not the music which is of course top notch, but the singers, in particular the soprano Jorg Waschinski. My first ignorant thought when I bought this disk was, "Hmmm, Jorg. What an odd first name for a woman." I was listening to the recording in the car during the day and enjoying it thinking perhaps that the soprano's vocal quality was just a bit heavy for early music.

It was only when I returned home and read that liner notes that it dawned on me why. Jorg is a MALE soprano! I have heard many counter-tenors in my day but never in my life have I heard such a voice coming from an adult man. We've heard and read about the use of castrati in baroque music but this is the closest I have ever come to hearing almost the real thing. Thankfully Jorg did not have to have the (to say the least!) uncomfortable surgery which is usually involved for a castrati. From what the liner notes describe he and his teachers used research of the period to train his voice for such singing. and the results are remarkable.

As the liner notes say, this music was originally written to be used in church where women still were not allowed to sing at the time. This is probably the closest we will get to hearing the Stabat Mater and Salve Regina as it was meant to be heard. Along with Jorg Waschinski is also counter-tenor Michael Chance who does an admirable job, though unlike Jorg is easily recognizable as a male singer.

This CD is beautifully recorded and sung. I recommend everyone who has an interest in hearing authentic singing to listen to this unbelievable disk.