Julia Lezhneva | PRJCT Amsterdam | Maarten Engeltjes

The young baroque orchestra PRJCT Amsterdam captivates audiences with its virtuosity and sensitivity. For Pergolesi's impressive Stabat Mater, the musicians place their founder, countertenor Maarten Engeltjes, at the centre. He takes on the alto part, while Julia Lezhneva sings the soprano part – an ideal casting.

‘The voice,’ says Julia Lezhneva, ‘is the sound of the soul.’ The New York Times described her singing as ‘angelic’. Together with Maarten Engeltjes, the highly acclaimed countertenor and director of the PRJCT Amsterdam ensemble, she performs what is probably the most famous lament in music history: Pergolesi's ‘Stabat Mater’, combined here with Vivaldi's no less moving ‘Nisi Dominus’.