Steffani: Stabat Mater

Agostino Steffani (1654-1728), was a composer, cleric and diplomat whose fortunes are clearly on the rise. Witness his Niobe at Covent Garden three years ago, and Cecilia Bartoli's thrilling Mission album devoted to his arias and duets. Bartoli is one of the soloists in the Stabat Mater, his last and best-known choral work. Does lightning strike twice? Not quite. Conductor Diego Fasolis sails rather too smoothly through the scrunchy instrumental dissonances that open the work. And, contrariwise, much of the singing, both solo and choral, strives too hard to make an effect. The upbeat approach to Sperate in Deo works better. The polychoral exchanges of Beatus Vir are nicely done. And with eight vocal soloists in all, there's no shortage of colour. url.ie/4w4k