Rossini: Petite Messe Solennelle

Ben Horden - piano,
Nicky Losseff - piano,
Robert Patterson - organ

Peter Seymour - conductor

​Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle is neither small nor solemn but instead a fascinating late work from a composer who had stopped composing operas three decades previously. The ‘petite’ of its title does reflect the circumstances of its first performance in a Paris salon with two pianos and a small group of singers. Rossini, then in his late seventies, galvanised himself for one final and powerfully direct musical statement that is both optimistic and filled with faith and sincerity. Beneath its curious title lies a religious setting of the mass that mixes anxiety and seriousness with a sense of joy and musical bravado. As you would expect, the vocal writing is melodic, sometimes playful, and sometimes operatic, creating a work filled with drama and colour.

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