- Antonín Dvořák (1841 - 1904): Stabat Mater for soloists, choir and orchestra, Op. 58:
- 1 Dvořák: Stabat Mater for soloists, choir and orchestra, Op. 58: I. Stabat mater dolorosa 17:15
- 2 Dvořák: Stabat Mater for soloists, choir and orchestra, Op. 58: II. Quis est homo qui non fleret 08:59
- 3 Dvořák: Stabat Mater for soloists, choir and orchestra, Op. 58: III. Eja mater fons amoris 06:55
- 4 Dvořák: Stabat Mater for soloists, choir and orchestra, Op. 58: IV. Fac, ut ardeat cor meum 08:41
- 5 Dvořák: Stabat Mater for soloists, choir and orchestra, Op. 58: V. Tui nati vulnerate 04:21
- 6 Dvořák: Stabat Mater for soloists, choir and orchestra, Op. 58: VI. Fac me vere tecum flere 05:34
- 7 Dvořák: Stabat Mater for soloists, choir and orchestra, Op. 58: VII. Virgo virginum praeclara 08:26
- 8 Dvořák: Stabat Mater for soloists, choir and orchestra, Op. 58: VIII. Fac, ut portem Christi mortem 05:19
- 9 Dvořák: Stabat Mater for soloists, choir and orchestra, Op. 58: IX. Inflammatus et accensus 04:26
- 10 Dvořák: Stabat Mater for soloists, choir and orchestra, Op. 58: X. Quando corpus morietur – Amen 08:09
Info for Dvořák: Stabat Mater
The Dresdner Philharmonie and Marek Janowski present a recording of Antonín Dvořák’s Stabat Mater, together with the MDR Leipzig Radio Choir, Hanna-Elisabeth Müller (soprano), Roxana Constantinescu (mezzo-soprano), Christian Elsner (tenor) and Tareq Nazmi (bass). In terms of scope and duration, Dvořák’s Stabat Mater is the largest setting of this sacred text to date. Likely inspired by the tragic death of all his three children – in the timespan of just two years – the work is heartrending, yet establishes a gradual path from darkness to light, from despair to peace and hope; ascetic and restrained, yet full of suspense. This recording, made in connection to a live performance commemorating the bombing of Dresden, offers a rendition that never drags, avoids excessive sentimentality, and is all the more moving as a result.
Marek Janowski is one of the most celebrated conductors of our time and has a vast PENTATONE discography, chiefly consisting of German operas and symphonic works. From 2019 to 2023 he was Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the Dresdner Philharmonie. Dvořák’s Stabat Mater is his seventh PENTATONE recording with this orchestra, with whom he recently released Schubert’s Unfinished and Great Symphonies (2023), Schumann’s complete symphonies (2024), as well as Haydn’s Die Schöpfung (2024). The MDR Leipzig Radio Choir also appeared on that recording, has frequently featured on other PENTATONE recordings and starred on Bruckner Haydn Motets (2021) and Mendelssohn Choral Works (2023). Hanna-Elisabeth Müller released her solo albums Reine de cœur (2018) and Sinnbild; Strauss Songs (2022) on PENTATONE. Roxana Constantinescu featured on PENTATONE recordings of Mascagni’s Cavalleria rusticana and Puccini’s Il tabarro (both 2020), as well as Kodály & Bartók (2023). Christian Elsner also has a longstanding relationship with the label, including his solo recording of Schubert Lieder (2015). Tareq Nazmi appeared on the beforementioned recording of Die Schöpfung.
Hanna-Elisabeth Müller, soprano
Roxana Constantinescu, mezzo-soprano
Christian Elsner, tenor
Tareq Nazmi, bass
MDR Radio Choir Leipzig
Dresden Philharmonic Orchestra
Marek Janowski, conductor
Hanna-Elisabeth Müller
studied singing in Mannheim with Rudolf Piernay, with whom she continues to work closely. She further honed her skills in masterclasses with Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Julia Varady, Elly Ameling and Thomas Hampson. In 2010, she joined the opera studio of the Bavarian State Opera, where she was a member of the ensemble from 2012 to 2016. Since then, she has appeared as a sought-after singer on the world's most important opera and concert stages, including the Semperoper Dresden, the Vienna State Opera, the Teatro alla Scala in Milan, the Teatro dell'Opera in Rome, London's Wigmore Hall and the Metropolitan Opera in New York, as well as at the Easter Festival in Salzburg. Her repertoire includes roles such as Pamina (Die Zauberflöte), Contessa di Almaviva (Le nozze di Figaro), Woglinde (Das Rheingold/Götterdämmerung), Donna Anna (Don Giovanni), Eva (Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg) and the title role in Arabella. In the 2020/21 and 2022/23 seasons, she appeared as Cordelia (Lear) under the direction of Jukka-Pekka Saraste at the Bavarian State Opera and took on the roles of Pamina and Elettra in Idomeneo in 2020/21. She performed this role again at the Nationaltheater Munich in the 2023/24 season.
Roxana Constantinescu
born in Bucharest and beginning her career as a soloist in the Vienna State Opera ensemble, she has established herself as one of today's leading artists, presenting an extensive repertoire in both concert and operatic settings.
Notable recent engagements include performances of I Puritani and Dvorak's Stabat Mater with the Dresden Philharmonic, Mozart's Requiem with the Bilbao Radio Orchestra, Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 with the Gulbenkian Orchestra, Mahler's Symphony No. 2 with the Bucharest Radio Orchestra, and recitals in Paris and Vienna. She has performed and recorded Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen, Cavalleria Rusticana, and Il Tabarro with the Dresden Philharmonic under Marek Janowski.
Roxana made her debut at the Opéra de Paris as Bradamante in Handel's Alcina and performed the title role in Vivaldi's Juditha Triumphans at the Greek National Opera, a production broadcast worldwide by Mezzo TV. She has performed as alto soloist in Rossini's Stabat Mater at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées and Beethoven's Missa Solemnis at the Tokyo Opera City Concert Hall; in concert appearances with the Internationale Bachakademie Stuttgart and Hans-Christoph Rademann at Walt Disney Hall, Princeton, and Fort Lauderdale; and under the direction of Helmuth Rilling, she has sung repeatedly at the Konzerthaus Berlin, the Liederhalle Stuttgart, the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, and the Bach Oregon Festival.
Roxana has made highly acclaimed operatic debuts at the Zurich Opera, the Teatro la Fenice, the Israeli Opera, the Opéra Royal de Versailles and the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma, the Vienna State Opera, the Deutsche Oper Berlin and the New National Theater Tokyo, LA Opera, the Theater an der Wien, the Oviedo Opera, and the Théâtre du Capitole Toulouse.
Ms. Constantinescu has performed with some of the most important conductors of our time, including Seiji Ozawa, Pierre Boulez, Ricardo Muti, Lawrence Foster, Fabio Luisi, James Conlon, Helmuth Rilling, Gustavo Dudamel, Kirill Petrenko, Marek Janowski, Sir Neville Marriner, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Cristian Mäcelaru, Bertrand de Billy, Franz Welser-Möst, Manfred Honeck, Masaaki Suzuki, Marco Armiliato, Riccardo Frizza, and more. Her performances have graced prestigious orchestras such as the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Vienna Philharmonic, the LA Philharmonic, the Munich Philharmonic, the Dresden Philharmonic, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, the WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne, the Seattle Symphony Orchestra, the Stuttgart Radio Orchestra, the Bach Collegium Stuttgart, and the Bach Collegium Japan.
Roxana is also recognized as an accomplished lieder interpreter and has given recitals at Carnegie Hall, Wigmore Hall, the Vienna Musikverein, the Abbaye de Lessay, the Theatre Ranelagh Paris, and the Palais Eschenbach Vienna. She has recorded for BIS Records, Pentatone, Hänssler Classic, OEHMS Classics, SWR, CSO Resound, Artmode Records, Weltbild, and Carus Verlag. She was nominated for a Grammy Award for her recording of Stravinsky's Pulcinella conducted by Pierre Boulez.
Christian Elsner
Born in Freiburg im Breisgau, Christian Elsner is one of Germany's most versatile tenors. He studied singing with Martin Gründler, took lessons from Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and Neil Semer, and is a prizewinner of numerous international competitions.
As an internationally sought-after concert singer, the singer is a welcome guest at all major classical music venues, such as the Berlin Philharmonic, Carnegie Hall in New York, La Scala in Milan, and Suntory Hall in Tokyo, and has worked with conductors such as Herbert Blomstedt, Semyon Bychkov, Manfred Honeck, Marek Janowski, Mariss Jansons, Kent Nagano, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, and Sir Simon Rattle.
On the operatic stage, Christian Elsner has established himself as a Wagnerian tenor with performances as Siegmund and Parsifal at the German National Theater in Weimar, the Staatstheater Kassel, the Vienna State Opera, the Semperoper Dresden, and the Teatro Real in Madrid.
With accompanists such as Gerold Huber and Burkhard Kehring, the tenor has given recitals in Frankfurt, Hamburg, Bonn, Dresden, Munich, Würzburg, Brussels, and at the Schubertiade in Feldkirch.
In addition to numerous song recordings such as Schubert's "Winterreise" and Schumann's "Dichterliebe," and studio productions such as Mahler's "Lied von der Erde," Mendelssohn's "Lobgesang" Symphony, Beethoven's "Missa Solemnis," and the 9th Symphony, CDs have also included complete recordings of Wagner's "Rheingold" (Loge) and "Parsifal" (Parsifal), as well as Schubert songs orchestrated by Max Reger and Anton Webern.
As a children's book author, Christian Elsner most recently published "Lennie and the Ring of the Nibelung." Since 2006, he has been a professor of singing at the Würzburg University of Music.
Most recently, the tenor performed the title role in Wagner's "Parsifal" at the Teatro Real in Madrid under Semyon Bychkov, in Franz Schmidt's "The Book with Seven Seals" in Vienna with the Vienna Symphony Orchestra under Manfred Honeck, and in Beethoven's 9th Symphony in Leipzig with the Gewandhaus Orchestra under Herbert Blomstedt, as well as in Berlin, Paris, Vienna, New York, Taipei, and Tokyo with the Berlin Philharmonic under Sir Simon Rattle.
Upcoming projects include Mahler’s “Song of the Earth” with the Berlin Philharmonic under Bernard Haitink, Mozart’s Requiem with the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra under Cristian Macelaru, Humperdinck’s “Hansel and Gretel” with the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra under Marek Janowski, Act 1 of Wagner’s “Die Walküre” in a concert performance with the RAI Orchestra under James Conlon, Beethoven’s “Missa Solemnis” with the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra under Andrés Orozco-Estrada, Schubert Lieder orchestrated by Max Reger and Anton Webern with the Orquesta Sinfónica de Madrid under Lothar Zagrosek, Beethoven’s 9th Symphony with the Gulbenkian Orchestra under Alain Altinoglu and Mendelssohn’s “Lobgesang” Symphony with the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich under Lionel Bringuier.
Booklet for Dvořák: Stabat Mater