Reviewed by John Irvine

Karol Szymanowski, the great Polish composer who died in 1937, wrote three liturgically inspired works in the last 12 years of his life: "Veni Creator" (1926), a "Litany To The Virgin Mary" (1933) and the outstandingly beautiful and tender "Stabat Mater" (1926). This work was conceived as a kind of peasant's requiem; as Szymanowski put it, "Something pleasant and ecclesiastical...naively devotional; a sort of prayer." The result, to my mind, surpassed the composer's intentions: the "Stabat Mater" is a glorious and a stunning work which rates an 11 on a scale of 10 for the 'spine tingling' test. There are moments of great beauty which simply have to be savoured and enjoyed -the funeral procession opening of the second movement, the solemn dignity of the first movement, the tender and compassionate third movement, the powerful and dramatic climax to the fifth movement, and the sixth movement, a meditation on the paradise to come. Simon Rattle's conducting of the CBSO and the wonderful soloists Szmytka, Quiver and Connell, have produced what is without doubt the finest version of this work in the catalogue. As a reviewer in the Independent put it, "Where has this wonderful music been all our lives?" Recommended without reservation.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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