Le Stabat mater de Karl Jenkins

Le stabat mater trouve son origine au 13^ème siècle dans la religion catholique. Cet hymne en latin décrit les douleurs et les souffrances de la Vierge Marie au pied de la Croix où son Fils est crucifié. Depuis l’histoire de la musique est régulièrement ponctuée par des Stabat mater de compositeurs de toutes les époques : rappelons celui de Pergolèse, de Rossini, de Dvorak, de Francis Poulenc,

Jenkins compose cette oeuvre en 2008. Le compositeur lui donne une dimension humaniste et universelle en incorporant des couleurs sonores orientales et arabes, comme il y introduit des textes en anglais, en arabe, en hébreux, en grec et en araméen.

Jenkins' adaptation

Jenkins' work extends across twelve movements, six of which use texts other than the original poem. They include a choral arrangement of the "Ave verum" Jenkins originally wrote for Bryn Terfel; a movement entitled "And The Mother Did Weep" which comprises a single line sung simultaneously in English, Latin, Greek, Aramaic, and Hebrew; "Lament," written by Jenkins' wife Carol Barratt; and "Incantation," which is partly sung in early Arabic by Belinda Sykes.

Stabat Mater focuses on the suffering of Mary, but unlike earlier adaptations of the text, Jenkins incorporates the language of the period, with lines sung in Aramaic and early Arabic. The addition of Armenian instrument the duduk (or mey) heightens the Eastern atmosphere, and its deep double-reeded sound adds a richer, more resonant dimension to the work than can perhaps be achieved using Orchestra alone. Alongside the duduk, Jenkins features percussion from the Middle East, such as the darabuca, def, doholla, and riq.

Jenkins' Stabat Mater is divided into 12 movements.