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Pergolesi's legendary Stabat Mater for solo soprano and alto acquired its mystique early on: not only does it boast striking melodies and harmonies, but the composer finished it just days before dying of tuberculosis at age 26. That irresistibly mythic circumstance, combined with the sacred nature of the text, led to an air of reverence that has surrounded the work for two centuries. It's this reverence that Rinaldo Alessandrini means to strip away, showing us the very theatrical style in which Pergolesi actually wrote. Using only six period string instruments rather than the customary small orchestra, Alessandrini directs a remarkable performance: the very quick or very slow tempos, sudden accents, and dynamic extremes are often surprising but always credible. Alessandro Scarlatti's Stabat Mater, written for the same forces (for the same institution in Naples, in fact) as Pergolesi's setting, is a more temperate piece, with less theatrical intensity but more counterpoint and florid vocal writing. Both soloists have attractive voices (though soprano Bertagnolli shows occasional strain on high notes), with just enough narrow vibrato to appeal to traditional voice fans without alienating early-music lovers. Most importantly, they have the courage and the skill to bring Alessandrini's daring conception off. If you want a conventionally reverent reading, you should try Gillian Fisher and Michael Chance, but this performance really is thrilling. --Matthew Westphal, ISBN13: B00000DLYG ISBN10: B00000DLYG Material Type: audioCD