Perhaps the most captivating element of the performance was the seemingly inherent dissonance between the ancient classical music and the modernness of the choreography. However, I found that the dance, rather than serving as a detriment to the enduring classical score, provided an interesting twist to the presentation of the narrative and of the art, effectively modernizing the ancient setting of the music.

Stabat Mater is, for Catholics, a timeless story of an important figure of divinity. For everyone, the music and dance of the production by Whim W’Him and Early Music Seattle is a captivating exploration of grief and the role of a mother. Either way one approaches it, the performance was a spellbinding capturing of this ancient narrative, and a strong representation of universal feeling between mother and son, between life and death.

Teen Editor Hannah Schoettmer, edited by Teen Editor Anya Shukla, TeenTix