PERGOLESI – STABAT MATER
A collaboration between Cape Town Opera, Camerata Tinta Barocca and Cape Town City Ballet which provides an emotional and artistic response to the COVID-19 pandemic, conceptualized specifically for filming and digital dissemination. The text reflects on the suffering of Mary at the Crucifixion, and Pergolesi’s compact setting provides the jumping-off-point for our reflection on grief caused by this pandemic, and social and spatial alienation arriving in its wake. Two CTO Young Artist singers will be joined by six dancers, accompanied by a baroque orchestra, creating a choreographed staging within the realities of social/physical distancing. The piece will be abridged to 23 minutes for potential television broadcast. CTCB has approached young London-based South African choreographer Mthuthuzeli November to choreograph. Broadcast via Zoom has been scheduled for June/July 2020, exact dates will be advised shortly. Thanks to the City of Cape Town and the Rupert Music Foundation for their support of this project.