M Stabat Mater

“M”is the most common sound in the word for “mother” in languages all over the world.

In this stunning tribute to motherhood, contemporary dance, set to baroque music, probes its joys and sorrows. While pregnant with her third child, emerging Israeli choreographer Inbal Oshman found inspiration in Pergolesi’s version of Stabat Mater, the 13th-century hymn about Mary’s vigil at the foot of the cross.

Oshman’s dance explores the vulnerability and tenderness required of mothers, and the strength and ferocity that come with the territory. She borrows from the mythological mothers of history, including the Mary of Christianity, the dark and violent Hindu goddess Kali and the Four Matriarchs of the Old Testament: Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and Leah.

Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater will be performed live on period instruments by New York Baroque Incorporated, one of the ensembles responsible for “the fast-growing vitality of the early music scene in New York.”