Italian castrati from the Royal Chapel at Versailles (Louis XIV had brought eight of them from Italy in 1679 for his sacred music) were the enthusiastic champions of this work, having brought the score themselves from Italy. At the court of Louis XV and at the Concert Spirituel, they introduced Paris to Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater, igniting the city’s passion for what was seen as a revolutionary work by a Neapolitan genius who had tragically died so young. Its success remained undiminished throughout the century. Vivaldi, using the same Stabat Mater text, composed a virtuosic piece in 1712 for performance in Brescia. In contrast to these Marian laments, his motet In furore unleashes the opposing passions, creating a work as dazzling as it is intense: here is the fury of divine wrath!

To fully capture the splendor of the sumptuous duo of angelic voices lamenting Mary’s sorrow at the foot of the Cross, it takes two performers capable of blending their timbres, much like the two Neapolitan castrati for whom this music was originally composed.

The brilliant sopranist Samuel Mariño, born in Caracas, brings the radiance of South America to a voice that is utterly youthful, almost timeless, and perhaps reminiscent of the angelic tones of the castrati of the Vatican, the Royal Chapel of Naples, or that of Versailles!

For this concert at Versailles, he is joined by Filippo Mineccia, who has in recent years become a captivating figure on the Baroque stage, especially at Versailles, where he has shone both in the Opera House and the Chapel. Here are two exceptional performers for a program of sensitivity and virtuosity…

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