Poulenc wrote his Stabat Mater, a hauntingly passionate work, after visiting the sacred shrine of the Black Madonna of Rocamadour. Poulenc's journey profoundly changed his life and work as a composer. Like the Stabat Mater, the Litanies ˆ la Vierge Noir is also inspired by the Black Virgin of Rocamadour. Recorded here in an unrivalled performance by the combined choirs of St. John's, Clare and Gonville and Caius Colleges, Cambridge, with the BBC Philharmonic with soprano Judith Howarth.