Rossini's Petite Messe Solennelle February 25, 2011

The New York Choral Society is pleased to present Gioachino Rossini's Petite Messe Solennelle in Lincoln Center's newly renovated Alice Tully Hall.

Rossini, composer of some of the world's most beloved operas including Barber of Seville wrote two major sacred pieces late in his life, the Stabat Mater and the Petite Messe Solennelle. Rossini described the Petite Messe Solennelle as "the last mortal sin of my old age" and it was his last major work.

The title, Petite Messe Solennelle, is misleading, as it is neither petite nor particularly solemn. Like many composers of Masses, Rossini looks back to the purity and piety of the Renaissance but is also unabashedly Romantic, particularly in the exciting choral fugues at the end of the Gloria and Credo movements, and is at his operatic best in writing for the solo quartet. The Petite Messe Solennelle is full of the memorable melodies and rhythmic vitality for which Rossini became justly famous.

John Daly Goodwin, Music Director. Joyce El-Khoury, soprano; Marjorie Dix, mezzo-soprano; Michele Angelini, tenor; Brian Kontes, bass. David Ralph, organ. David Gifford, piano.

Official Website: http://nychoral.org