It was one of those truly unforgettable experiences.  The church of San Fortunato in Todi – always beautiful but usually empty and rather austere – was buzzing with energy and full of people.  Many of them had come long distances to be there.  Even the light was different: normally cool and pale, on this night it was warm and vibrant.  I recall thinking back to the day several years previously, when my wife and I first wandered into Todi, and reflecting that I never imagined it might lead to an evening like this.  It was May 2019 and we were about to witness a special performance of the Stabat Mater, originally a medieval hymn believed to have been written by Jacopone.  The performance was the culmination of the Iubel Festival, a series of cultural events being held in Todi in honour of Jacopone.

One of the most remarkable things about the Stabat Mater is how often it has been set to music.  Apart altogether from the many versions in Gregorian chant, found in medieval church manuscripts, there are versions by an extraordinary number of composers from the 15th century to the present day, including major names such as Bach, Haydn, Schubert, Rossini, Liszt, Dvorák, Scarlatti, Pergolesi and Ennio Morricone.  Through the centuries, composers have been inspired by the drama of the Stabat Mater, by its powerful combination of emotive imagery and strong rhythmic structure.  You can find out much more about this musical history at the wonderful Ultimate Stabat Mater Website.  The version being performed that night in Todi was by Rossini, one of the great operatic composers – and his Stabat Mater certainly has moments of full-blooded operatic intensity, as well as delicate interludes of pathos and reflection.

San Fortunato was chosen as the venue for this performance because it holds the tomb of Jacopone, traditionally regarded as the author of the Stabat Mater.  The great old church resounded with the sheer power of a full (and very fine) orchestra and the stunning vocals of a first-rate choir and professional soloists.  The atmosphere was alive with an intense electricity.  The evening was even more special because the performance was directed by Ezio Bosso, a great Italian maestro of music but also someone who was living with an incurable illness (and who would pass away only a year later).  Who better than a man who knew something about suffering to direct a meditation on human suffering, written by a poet who also knew something about suffering?  As they performed that night, the orchestra were located right over the crypt containing Jacopone’s tomb.  Many people there were struck by the thought that Jacopone himself was present in spirit and we wondered how he might have felt about the performance.  It was a long-overdue tribute, after centuries of neglect, to a great poet and man of faith.

Watch Ezio Bosso conducting the European Philharmonic Orchestra in San Fortunato.