BBC 3 Offers Mass Gratuitousness – Rossini’s Stabat Mater

My colleague Eyesometric, over at The Eyes Have It, has been watching out for me. Franz Welser-Möst (left) and the Cleveland Orchestra are presenting a series of four programs on BBC 3 this week. (Yes, we have to listen to British radio to hear the Cleveland Orchestra in concert.) 

That's nice to know, but the truly awesome part is that today, the Cleveland Chorus joins the orchestra to perform Rossini’s Stabat Mater, with soloists:  

[Dramatic Pause]  

• Malin Hartelius 
• Luca Pisaroni
• Anna Bonitatibus (Dorabella to MH’s Fiordiligi at Zurich)
• and (last because I don’t know who he is…yet) Martin Mitterutzner.  

And for extra Barihunk joy, Christopher Maltman will be singing Vaughan Williams’ Five Mystical Songs (poems of John Donne), along with the wonderful Cleveland Orchestra Chorus.

BBC 3 is broadcasting this today, and as they often do, archiving the performance for about a week. Here is the link to the BBC 3 iPlayer. 

By the way, all I can find of MM so far (It's too bad he's so unattractive!) is some lovely operetta. Here is a 2011 performance of Man wird ja einmal nur geboren (You're only born once) from Lortzing's Der Waffenschmied. 

Herr Mitterutzner studied with Brigette Fassbaender, who said of him, “It's a rare experience to hear such a perfectly focused voice containing sensitivity and temperament.” 

Der Waffenschmied:

Man wird ja einmal nur geboren

Apparently Franz Welser-Möst heard him sing Fernando, and more or less said, "I must have him join me for some Mozart arias." Based on this clip, I am looking forward to hearing him in the Rossini. Oh, and those other singers, too!

Thanks, Eyeso! See you at the Beeb 3!

**********

Quick Update at 12:00 EDT: The performance is wonderful, Herr Mitterutzner held his own with the other (super) soloists, and the concert is available for replay on BBC's iPlayer Radio for the next seven days.