In this, the closing concert of the Festival, the Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Carlo Tenan, accompanies the Slovak Philharmonic Choir and soloists Claudia Pavone (soprano), Martina Belli (alto), Juan Francisco Gatell (tenor) and Nahuel di Pierro (bass) in the Petite messe solennelle by Gioachino Rossini (1792–1868).
The Petite messe solennelle (‘Little Solemn Mass’) was written in 1863, perhaps at the request of the French banker Count Alexis Pillet-Will for his wife Louise, to whom it is dedicated. The composer, who had retired from composing operas more than 30 years before, described it as ‘the last of my sins of old age’. This extended work is in fact a missa solemnis (‘solemn mass’) that is ironically labelled petite. The first performance took place in 1864 at the Pillet-Will couple’s new home in Paris. Rossini later produced an orchestral version that included an additional movement, but this version was not performed during his lifetime because he was unable to obtain permission to have female singers in a church. It was finally performed at the Salle Ventadour in Paris in February 1869, three months after the composer’s death. On the last page of the manuscript, Rossini wrote:
Dear Lord, here it is finished, this poor little mass. Have I just written sacred music, or rather, sacrilegious music? I was born for opera buffa, as you well know. Not much technique, a little bit of heart, that’s all. Blessings to you, and grant me Paradise.
Issue 67, December 2024
Beauty in the Wilderness
