‘Petite’ it is certainly not, though that may refer to the minimalist ‘orchestration’ necessary for the first performance in a Parisian town house.
The choir at that time numbered only 12, made up of three sexes, men, women and castrati!
The work opens surprisingly with a jogtrot, a running bass for two pianos, out of which the words of the Kyrie quietly emerge.
The Hexham Abbey Festival Chorus was on scintillating form, with spirited entries in the Gloria and Credo and a thrilling end to Part 1 in the fugal Cum Sancto Spiritu.
Perhaps the operatic Rossini was not the obvious choice to compose a solemn mass because cheerful tunefulness keeps bursting through the serious words.
Indeed, Rossini once said, ‘”how me a laundry list and I will set it to music”, and this is certainly a melodic mass. The four soloists all had their moments of operatic glory, either as solos or in unison.
Michael Haynes played the harmonium against the unusual forces of a large choir compared with the original 12 voices, but fortunately he had a lengthy solo in which we were able to enjoy his sensitive playing and the unfamiliar sound of the harmonium.
The choir and mezzo soprano brought the mass to a moving conclusion.
Here the mood really was ‘solennelle’, with its plea of ‘have mercy… grant us peace’. Perhaps the now-old Rossini sensed the lengthening shadows; he was to live only five more years.
But the heroine of the evening was pianist Eileen Bown, whose sheer stamina and musicianship almost non-stop held the work firmly together and deservedly earned her a cheer from the audience.
She was ably accompanied by the Abbey’s own director of music Marcus Wibberley, who as festival director was ultimately responsible for the enterprising choice of this year’s events. No doubt many of the audience carried away Rossini’s catchy tunes into the night. I did.
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