Link to WASO program

Stabat Mater performed by Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, 2023

Background

 AD HONOREM BEATÆ MARIÆ VIRGINIS

 Ad Honorem Beatæ Mariæ Virginis emerges as a tribute to the Blessed Virgin Mary, a sacred overture preceding my composition, Stabat Mater. Here, at the foot of the cross, the Blessed Virgin Mary stood as a sentinel of love, her heart a mosaic of anguish and devotion. In a gesture of divine significance, Jesus cast His gaze upon His mother and the beloved disciple John, entrusting their souls to one another's care. “Woman, behold, your son.” “Behold, your mother.” With these words, the boundaries of motherhood expanded beyond flesh and blood, encompassing the entirety of humanity in a tender embrace.

 Ad Honorem Beatæ Mariæ Virginis is in honour of this pivotal moment that resounds through the ages, an invitation to all hearts to seek solace and guidance in Mary as our heavenly mother. It is a musical offering that encapsulates this timeless truth. Through narrated and sung text, the work weaves three revered prayers of the Ave Maria, Sub Tuum Praesidium and Salve Regina in honour of Our Lady with Psalm 82: 3-4, evoking a plea for Our Lady's maternal grace to protect under her mantel the children of the world—especially those who have been lost, were left forsaken, taken or whose existence was tragically quenched by the agency of another. In this fusion, the music becomes a prayer and a supplication—a tribute to the universal motherhood that blossomed beneath the cross, transcending grief to bestow grace upon all who turn their eyes toward her.

 Ad Honorem Beatæ Mariæ Virginis is a testament to honour the eternal essence of Mary's compassion and devotion, and sets the stage for the poignant journey that awaits in Stabat Mater.