Petite messe solennelle

Rossini’s setting of the Latin Mass, composed in Paris in 1864 perhaps in response to a request from the banker Count Alexis Pillet-Will, stands against the grain of austere sacred music cultivated in the French capital at the time. His Petite messe solennelle, which he described as “the last mortal sin of my old age”, is neither “little” nor always “solemn”. The five-movement work, subdivided into 18 sections, takes almost 80 minutes to perform and contains solo arias and ensemble pieces, the rousing bass solo “Quoniam tu solus sanctus”, and the soprano’s soaring “O salutaris” among them, that sound like escapees from the opera house. Yet the overall effect is one of profound reverence for the text and sincere thanksgiving to God, delivered with music that flows straight from the composer’s heart. Rossini originally scored the Petite messe solennelle for a dozen singers (providing four soloists and eight choristers), two pianos and harmonium. The combination delivers a surprising variety of colours and textures, embracing everything from the swagger of the opening “Kyrie” and sublime a cappella “Sanctus” to the affecting beauty of the “Agnus Dei”.