The Sunday Musical Offering - Rossini's Petite Messe Solennelle and some Delightful French Pastry

Inspired by Bill Doubleday's request last week for a Rossini selection when I was asking my Facebook readers for a choice between Rachmaninoff and Tchaikovsky(!), I venture into the nineteenth century with great joy offering two very different works that highlight the magnificent composition of an Italian mater. Rossini was a most interesting character who decided at the ripe old age of 38 (after writing 39 operas to that point in his life)  to retire from the stage. This has troubled historians ever since and massive amounts of books and graduate thesis papers have been written on the subject.

Gioachinno Rossini
1792-1868

For nearly three and a half decades following, Rossini does not write a serious composition. Finally in 1863, he composes the Petite messe described by Rossini as "the last of my péchés de vieillesse" (sins of old age).  He prefaced his mass—characterized, apocryphally by Napoleon III, as neither little nor solemn, nor particularly liturgical—with the words: "Good God—behold completed this poor little Mass—is it indeed sacred music [la musique sacrée] that I have just written, or merely some damned music [la sacré musique]? You know well, I was born for comic opera. Little science, a little heart, that is all. So may you be blessed, and grant me Paradise!"

"Its first performance was at the dedication (14 March 1864) of the private chapel in the hôtel of Louise, comtesse de Pillet-Will. Rossini specified twelve singers in all, with the soloists doubling the SATB chorus, and scored it for two pianos and harmonium. Among the first hearers were Giacomo Meyerbeer, Daniel Auber and Ambroise Thomas, who would succeed Auber as director of the Paris Conservatoire. Albert Lavignac, aged eighteen, conducted from the harmonium. The soloists were Carlotta and Barbara Marchisio, Italo Gardoni and Luigi Agnesi. It has been said that all this piece requires is a small hall, a piano, a harmonium, eight choristers and the four greatest singers on Earth." (Wikipiedia)

Two choices for my listeners. The first is an inclusive orchestrated version of the Messe with Riccardo Chailly leading the forces of the Gewandhaus Orchestra of Leipzig. The soloists are Alexandrina Pendatchanska  (soprano); Manuela Custer (contralto); Stefano Secco (Tenor); and Mirko Palazzi (Bass). Rossini orchestrated the work in 1866-67 and this version was first performed three months after the composer's death.

The second clip is a shorter portion of the Messe with its original orchestration. Here, Wolfgang Sawallish leads the forces of the Chorus of Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia with Soprano Eva Mei; Mezzo-Soprano Daniela Barcellona; Tenor Matthew Polenzani; and Bass Roberto Scandiuzzi.

But Wait!.... There is more!!.... Dessert!!!

Rossini himself said that he was "born for comic opera". Indeed, he was. The composer's last comic opera is a gem, Le Comte Ory written in 1828 and first performed at the Opera in Paris. With a libretto by Eugène Scribe and Charles Gaspard Delestre-Poirson, Rossini saw the possibility of making use of some half of the numbers of his earlier opera Il viaggio a Reims, which he had composed in 1825 for the coronation of the Bourbon King Charles X. The entire First Act finale of Ory is "lifted" from Rossini's first opera. But who cares? The music is glorious!!

What I provided for my listener's below is the amazing trio from the second act in which The Count is lured into Adele's bedroom and finds not only the young lady but also another suitor, Isolier (a trouser role sung by the mezzo-soprano). To rapturous, and then fun-filled, music, we will find three people in bed (that's right.... 1828!). French Farce meets Italian Bel Canto and the union is magnificent. Here, Juan Diego Florez as the Count, Diana Damrau as Adele, and Joyce Didonato shine in Rossini's comic triumph. 

Love One Another - Brian