a musical journey through the ages...

Nicola Burnett Smith

Nicola Burnett Smith

About the composer

Nicola Burnett Smith was born in Edinburgh in 1964. She studied Theatre and Drama at Warwick University and went on to become a theatre actor, musician and composer in the UK and around the world. Notable appearances include the Royal National Theatre and the Purcell Rooms, the BAC Opera Festival, Edinburgh Festival and Glasgow Mayfest. A talented mezzo soprano, she also plays woodwind including bass clarinet. Most of her compositions revolve around the voice and reflect her passion for live performance, theatre and storytelling. Four years ago Nicola established her ‘Out of Place’ project, working with poets to create musical compositions inspired by their writing.  Themes of displacement, emigration and transition were chosen to raise money for the Rory Peck Trust at a Gala performance in 2017. Nicola has continued to work closely with various poets since then, including Anna Kisby-Compton, Sylvia Paskin and Claire Booker as well as Phil Vernon who wrote the poem that inspired this Stabat Mater.
Please have a look at my blogpost about Nicola and the English translation by Phil Vernon.

About the Stabat Mater

Date: 2019
Performers:

Double bass and three female voices

Length: 7.30 minutes
Particulars:

In 2019 poet Phil Vernon invited Nicola to write music to his new translation of the Stabat Mater. Phil about his translation:
Having listened many times to Pergolesi’s version I wanted to adapt the lyrics in a modern version. In so doing I aim to retain the deeply emotional personal and spiritual core, while moving away from the formality of the original, and further compressing the already highly charged emotional content. I was thrilled when Nicola agreed to write to the beautiful music, further adapting some of the text as she did so, to be suitable for singing.
Nicola explains:
I was inspired by the restraint and passion in Phil’s poem and wanted the music to echo that whilst being as simple as possible. It was my challenge to write for double bass, as it is an instrument that I love but do not play, and to combine it with three female voices and nothing else. I was delighted to be asked to perform this in Holy Week in the beautiful church in Covent Garden. The planned studio recording and further performances of the work were postponed because of Covid19. In the meantime Phil and I are honoured to be featured on the Ultimate Stabat Mater Website with this modest live recording.

Textual variations:

The Latin text has not been used.

Colour bar:

No colour bar as the Latin text has not been used

Information about the recording

Video: Live recording in Covent Garden (London), April 15th, 2019.
More info:

Premier performance took place as part of Holy Week at St. Paul’s Church (The Actors’ Church) in Covent Garden, London.

Soloists:

Featuring vocalists: Sarah Lambie, Anna Braithwaite and Nicola Burnett Smith
Dai Price, double bass.

Code:

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