In the 18th century, the Virgin Mary inspired composers to express contrasting emotions, ranging from the joy of the Nativity to the sorrow of the Crucifixion. In Naples, sacred music became a vibrant, almost operatic drama.
Among these voices, that of Johann Adolf Hasse—husband of the divine Faustina Bordoni—rose to prominence through motets in which lyricism reached new heights. But it is Pergolesi’s *Stabat Mater*, written in the urgency of his untimely death, that achieves a deeply moving purity. Under the direction of Florent Albrecht, Sandrine Piau and Stéphanie d’Oustrac reveal all of its tragic grace.
How to get there ?