Philippe Jaroussky - Stabat Mater & Motets To The Virgin Mary (2006)

"Philippe Jaroussky is one of the best countertenors around. His voice is mellow, evenly toned, wide-ranging and largely free from intrusive mannerism and vocal strain”
BBC Music Magazine, February 2007
Unsurprisingly, it is in the music of the Baroque era – the heyday of the castrato – that French countertenor Philippe Jaroussky has captured the attention of music-lovers lovers around the world. The ethereal, but sensuous beauty of his voice, his virtuosity and his sense of style have brought him critical praise, a number of major awards – including, in 2008, Germany’s prestigious Echo-Klassik prize for Male Singer of the Year,
Here Philippe Jaroussky, offers selection of motets dedicated to the Virgin Mary, composed in the 17th century by Italian composers. Although the majority of these composers were very famous at their time, their works are today quite unknown, and very rarely, if never, recorded. The central piece is Giovanni Felice SANCES’ “Stabat Mater dolorosa”: the longest (10-11’), considered a masterpiece of the times, and a thoroughly poignant work.