Rossini's Stabat Mater & Mozart's Coronation Mass - Oxford Harmonic Choir
Sunday 23 March 2025, 19:30
Sheldonian Theatre
Susan Young – soprano
Heather Jill Burns – mezzo-soprano
Austin Gunn – tenor
James Cleverton – baritone
The Stabat Mater is a 13th-century meditation on the anguish the Virgin Mary would have felt on witnessing Jesus Christ’s crucifixion. This text has inspired some of the most memorable and imaginative choral music ever written, from the Renaissance into the present day. Rossini’s 1841 setting is no exception. It is cut from the same cloth as the later Verdi Requiem, in that it lays the text’s raw emotion bare using Italian opera techniques. It also makes extraordinary demands on the soloists, which is probably why it is rarely performed!
Mozart’s Coronation Mass is one of his most popular settings of the Mass. Composed in Salzburg after he was appointed court organist and composer at Salzburg Cathedral, it is celebratory throughout. The soprano solo Agnus Dei bears a striking resemblance to the Countess’s aria Dove Sono from Figaro.
Ticket Information
Full price tickets: £15 - £30
Students / under 18s half price in the Semi-circle and Upper Gallery only (proof of status required)
Doors open at 6:30pm
Latecomers are permitted
120 minutes including a 20 minute interval
Wheelchair users may bring a companion/carer for free