Stabat Mater, RV 621
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
Simply serene, occasionally subdued and always moving, Vivaldi's Stabat Mater (a 13th-century poem written about Mary's suffering during Jesus' crucifixion) is almost stark by Baroque standards. Vivaldi composed it around 1712. The composition is divided into eight sections. The melodies of sections 1 to 3 are repeated in sections 4 to 6.