For the Czech conductor Jakub Hrůša, Antonín Dvořák’s Stabat mater is a “wonderful gift” that touches and moves people. Indeed, the composition occupies a prominent position among the numerous settings of the medieval text describing Mary’s suffering as the mother of Jesus during his crucifixion. Here, Dvořák processes his grief over the death of three of his children – and created a sacred choral work in which dramatic outbursts alternate with moments of great intimacy. It finishes with an ecstatic vision of resurrection.