Grandes Heures de Cluny : Mater Musica

Ensemble Prosodia

Laetitia VOLCEY, soprano and Thi-Lien TRUONG, alto

Virginie PILLOT, harpsichord

Hélène FOUCHERES and Frédéric MARTIN, violins - Pierre VALLET, viola

Jean GAUDY, cello and Daniel ROMERO, double bass

The concert features a varied first part by Merula and Vivaldi, followed by the Stabat Mater (a sacred work composed in 1736 shortly before the death of the composer Giovanni Battista Pergolese).

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The concert opens with a moment of intimacy and spiritual tenderness in Tarquinio Merula's Canzonetta Spirituale. Antonio Vivaldi's Concerto for violin and organ will provide a dynamic, rhythmic contrast.

The first part will conclude with Cum Dederit, one of the most famous movements from Antonio Vivaldi's Nisi Dominus (a setting of Psalm 126).

The Stabat Mater takes up the 2nd part of the concert: this is a motet for 2 solo voices (soprano and alto) accompanied by an instrumental ensemble of violins, viola and continuo (cello and double bass). This medieval poem is attributed to a 13th-century Italian Franciscan monk: a work imbued with great sensitivity, typical of the late Baroque style. Written in Latin, the Stabat Mater describes the grief of the Virgin Mary, mourning at the foot of the cross where her son Jesus is crucified.

The ensemble prosodia, founded in 2023, organised a Literary Concert to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the birth of the writer Colette.

The project for Pergolese's Stabat Mater was born of a meeting between singer Laetitia Volcey (soprano) and Thi-Lien Truong (alto) in 2024. Both live in southern Burgundy. The difference in their vocal tessitura and their playful character made them want to sing together in different musical styles. For their first musical experience together, they chose to perform Pergolese's Stabat Mater, a work that combines beauty and depth, both in the music and in the heart-rending text.

Laetitia VOLCEY, soprano, has had an atypical career: intending to pursue a career as a teacher-researcher, she obtained her diploma in opera singing. She won the prestigious Voix d'Outre-Mer prize at the Opéra Bastille in January 2025.

Thi-Lien TRUONG, viola, after studying musicology, turned to singing at the Haute Ecole de Musique in Geneva and obtained a certificate in singing in Lyon. Her collaboration with several musical ensembles has enabled her to tackle a varied repertoire: contemporary music, baroque and romantic music, opera singing, etc.