Soft Voices – Stabat Mater

Italian sacred music from the Baroque era is performed in the atmospheric setting of Linz’s Old Cathedral by the Swiss ensemble Voces Suaves. At the heart of the program is Gregorio Allegri’s legendary Miserere, composed in 1627 exclusively for the Sistine Chapel. The work was shrouded in strict secrecy—until the 14-year-old Wolfgang Amadé Mozart transcribed it from memory after hearing it just once in 1770, thereby creating a musical myth.

The concert also features other masterpieces of the era: Alessandro Scarlatti’s Messa à 8 and Salve Regina, Domenico Scarlatti’s Laudate pueri and Stabat mater, as well as Antonio Lotti’s Crucifixus. Composed for up to ten voices, these works unfold their distinctive sound in the historic space of the Old Cathedral. The ensemble is conducted by Michele Vannelli at the organ.