for Orchestra and Mixed Choir (18 minutes)
Stabat Mater is a secular exploration of female power.
The text is my response to the 13th Century liturgical text of the same name, which describes the Virgin Mary’s suffering at the crucifixion of her son, Jesus.
The cultural power of Mary’s archetypal example of maternal sacrifice, deference and forgiveness – and its influence on Western society over the past 2000 years – is impossible to overstate. But what would she make of the regimes and individuals who have appropriated and distorted her story – and the teachings of her son – for their own personal or political gain?
This piece interprets Mary’s power as life, and imagines her undertaking a journey from the Garden of Gethsemane on the night before the crucifixion, towards an alternative future in which she saves her child.
Stabat Mater was commissioned by the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra in association with Choirs Aotearoa, in 2024.
Score and Parts will be available to rent for performances taking place after 2 October 2026.
VICTORIA KELLY 