La Tempete; Simon-Pierre Bestion - Scarlatti & Dvorak: Stabat Mater

Simon-Pierre Bestion has chosen to mirror two Stabat Mater that are more than 150 years apart: in these two works I can feel the same tonal language, the same expression of sorrow says the founder of La Tempete... I have decided to 'augment' Scarlatti's orchestration and 'diminish' Dvorak's, so they can meet on even ground. To the Scarlatti I have added string parts sometimes doubling the vocal lines, colla parte, as was often done at the period: this not only allows the sound to be amplified, but adds an extra timbre to the voice. For the Dvorak, I have transcribed the original piano part into its minimum orchestral dimension, that is, for strings. This creates a common sound world between the two works - I would even say they have the same kind of lyricism in common, with just the timbres of the piano, organ and theorbo standing out.