harmonia mundi (en)

Poulenc’s Stabat Mater, which he described as a ‘requiem without despair’, was written in 1950 following the death of Christian Bérard, a leading figure of 1940s Paris who designed the sets for Cocteau’s films and plays. This masterly work, dedicated to the Virgin of Rocamadour, gives pride of place to the chorus and clearly shows its line of descent from the French grands motets of the age of Louis XIV. On completing it, Poulenc wrote to Pierre Bernac: ‘It’s good, because it’s completely authentic.’