BaL 30.11.24 - Poulenc: Stabat mater

[Pulcinella]

1500
Building a Library

Jeremy Sams selects his favourite version of Poulenc's Stabat Mater.

Poulenc wrote his dramatic Stabat Mater after the death of his friend, the artist Christian Bérard and after a visit to the shrine of the Black Virgin of Rocamadour. His setting of the medieval Stabat Mater text is scored for soprano solo, mixed chorus, and orchestra and was premiered in 1951.

Presto listing here:

https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/works/55586--poulenc-stabat-mater/browse

The BBC MM recording (Volume 29, Number 9) is a Proms performance on 20 July 2016: Julie Fuchs, BBC Singers, BBCSO, Marc Minkowski.

Recommended Version
Marlis Petersen (soprano)
Stuttgart Southwest Radio Vocal Ensemble
North German Radio Chorus
Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra Stéphane Denève (conductor)
Hanssler Classic 93297CD

[Pulcinella]

Not that many versions currently available, according to the Presto site, so here's an attempt at listing them.

Michèle Lagrange, Choeur et Orchestre National de Lyon, Serge Baudo
Claudia Barainsky, EuropaChorAkademie, Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonie, Joshard Daus
Marlis Petersen, SWRVokalensemble, NDR Chor, Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart des SWR, Stéphane Denève
Françoise Pollet, RTF Choeur de Radio France, FTR Maitrise de Radio France, Orchestre National de France, Charles Dutoit
Jacqueline Brumaire, Chorale de l’Alauda, Orchestre Colonne, Louis Frémaux
Catherine Dubosc, Westminster Singers, City of London Sinfonia, Richard Hickox
Genia Kühmeier, Bavarian Radio Symphony Choir and Orchestra, Mariss Jansons
Patricia Petibon, Orchestre de Paris Choir and Orchestra, Paavo Järvi
Marion Tassou, Vlamms Radiokoor, Brussels Philharmonic, Hervé Niquet
Kathleen Battle, Tanglewood Festival Chorus, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Seiji Ozawa
Gabriekla Benackova, Prague Philharmonic Choir, Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, Libor Pešek
Danielle Borst, Ile de France Vittoria Regional Choir, Orchestre de la Cité, Michel Piquemal
Barbara Hendricks, Choeurs de Radio France, Orchestre National de France, Georges Prêtre
Carolyn Sampson, Capella Amsterdam, Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, Daniel Reuss
Mariannne Croux, Ensemble Aedes, Les Siècles, Mathieu Romano
Janice Watson, BBC Singers, BBCPO, Yan Pascal Tortelier
Georgina von Benza, Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Munich Radio Orchestra, Marcello Viotti

[Pulcinella]

Apart from the BBC MM recording (which I confess to not having listened to), the other versions on my shelves are the Hickox and a recording that seems to be currently unavailable (I have it in two incarnations: the Erato Œuvres complètes and an EMI Classics 2CD set called Stabat Mater).
Régine Crespin, Choeurs René Duclos, Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du Conservatoire, Georges Prêtre.

[CallMePaul]

I have never heard this work so will listen with interest. It is good to see BAL on ce again looking at wotks that are not "standard repertoire" even if the review is in the wrong church season.

[Hitch]

I am familiar with the Capella Amsterdam/Estonian NSO/Reuss recording on Harmonia Mundi but no others, so this BaL should be enlightening. To my ears, parts of the work, particularly the lovely opening dolorosa, contain the seeds of the later Dialogue des Carmélites.

[mikealdren]

I have never heard this work so will listen with interest. It is good to see BAL on ce again looking at wotks that are not "standard repertoire" even if the review is in the wrong church season.

It's well worth it, enjoy....

[Darloboy]

Never been covered by BaL before, although it might have been mentioned by Roger Nichols in a programme on Poulenc’s choral music back way back in November 1988….

[Pulcinella]

Never been covered by BaL before, although it might have been mentioned by Roger Nichols in a programme on Poulenc’s choral music back way back in November 1988….

He may well have done: there are some interesting comments on the work in his Poulenc biography, which I was looking through the other day.
It's a work that I can summon up little enthusiasm or indeed affection for, despite some wonderful passages in it.
This is a problem for me with some other settings too, and I'm still tempted to start a general thread, as mentioned elsewhere (following ff's mention of the Cornysh).
I'm planning a day trip (if the weather is decent) on broadcast day, so this might be one I have to catch up with later.

[mikealdren]

If I listen at all (which I will in this case) it's rarely live since the programme moved to Saturday afternoon.

[Retune]

Not that many versions currently available, according to the Presto site, so here's an attempt at listing them.

Michèle Lagrange, Choeur et Orchestre National de Lyon, Serge Baudo
Claudia Barainsky, EuropaChorAkademie, Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonie, Joshard Daus
Marlis Petersen, SWRVokalensemble, NDR Chor, Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart des SWR, Stéphane Denève
Françoise Pollet, RTF Choeur de Radio France, FTR Maitrise de Radio France, Orchestre National de France, Charles Dutoit
Jacqueline Brumaire, Chorale de l’Alauda, Orchestre Colonne, Louis Frémaux
Catherine Dubosc, Westminster Singers, City of London Sinfonia, Richard Hickox
Genia Kühmeier, Bavarian Radio Symphony Choir and Orchestra, Mariss Jansons
Patricia Petibon, Orchestre de Paris Choir and Orchestra, Paavo Järvi
Marion Tassou, Vlamms Radiokoor, Brussels Philharmonic, Hervé Niquet
Kathleen Battle, Tanglewood Festival Chorus, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Seiji Ozawa
Gabriekla Benackova, Prague Philharmonic Choir, Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, Libor Pešek
Danielle Borst, Ile de France Vittoria Regional Choir, Orchestre de la Cité, Michel Piquemal
Barbara Hendricks, Choeurs de Radio France, Orchestre National de France, Georges Prêtre
Carolyn Sampson, Capella Amsterdam, Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, Daniel Reuss
Mariannne Croux, Ensemble Aedes, Les Siècles, Mathieu Romano
Janice Watson, BBC Singers, BBCPO, Yan Pascal Tortelier
Georgina von Benza, Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Munich Radio Orchestra, Marcello Viotti

Interesting episode on a piece I don't know at all.

Final cut:

Marianne Croux, Ensemble Aedes, Les Siècles, Mathieu Romano
Régine Crespin, Choeurs René Duclos, Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du Conservatoire, Georges Prêtre

Winner:

Marlis Petersen, SWR Vokalensemble, NDR Chor, Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart des SWR, Stéphane Denève

Of these, only Croux/Romano seems to be readily available on CD. Is there even a download of Crespin/Prêtre? Jeremy Sams would I think like to have picked the latter for Crespin alone (and who can blame him?) but felt the chorus wasn't quite up to the mark.

[Pulcinella]

Interesting episode on a piece I don't know at all.

Final cut:

Marianne Croux, Ensemble Aedes, Les Siècles, Mathieu Romano
Régine Crespin, Choeurs René Duclos, Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du Conservatoire, Georges Prêtre

Winner:

Marlis Petersen, SWR Vokalensemble, NDR Chor, Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart des SWR, Stéphane Denève

Of these, only Croux/Romano seems to be readily available on CD. Is there even a download of Crespin/Prêtre? Jeremy Sams would I think like to have picked the latter for Crespin alone (and who can blame him?) but felt the chorus wasn't quite up to the mark.

Thanks for this.
OP updated with Recommended version.
It's a little odd that the Crespin/Prêtre version seems to have sunk without trace.

[LMcD]

Thanks for this.
OP updated with Recommended version.
It's a little odd that the Crespin/Prêtre version seems to have sunk without trace.

Available on Amazon for £23.20 plus £6.50 delivery !

[Retune]

Thanks for this.
OP updated with Recommended version.
It's a little odd that the Crespin/Prêtre version seems to have sunk without trace.

Especially odd as, if I understand Jeremy correctly, the Poulenc family liked Crespin/Prêtre so much they did not allow further recordings for more than 20 years (Prêtre's next version from the 80s with Barbara Hendricks is dismissed in the programme as not that remarkable).