If you enjoyed the Coro recording of Sir James MacMillan’s Stabat mater (an Editor’s Choice in May 2017 and shortlisted for a Gramophone Award last year), there’s a unique opportunity to catch the work streamed live from the spectacular setting of the Sistine Chapel - the first live concert stream ever from The Vatican. Harry Christophers conducts The Sixteen and Britten Sinfonia, the artists who gave the premiere in London in 2016. 

The Stabat mater was commissioned by the Genesis Foundation whose Founder and Chairman, John Studzinski, commented that ‘I’m delighted that many hundreds of thousands of people will experience James’s Stabat mater direct from the Sistine Chapel. It is rare for a new, hour-long work of sacred music to move audiences across the world as soon as it has been premiered, but James MacMillan’s Stabat mater is that rarity. A masterpiece, it has instantly connected audiences to the timeless story of Mary’s suffering as she observed the suffering and death of her son Jesus and simultaneously rose to become the Mother of Mankind.’

Catch the concert live on April 22 or for a month thereafter on the Classic FM website.