Jakob Lehmann returns to conduct the Monteverdi Choir and Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique for a performance of Rossini's Petite Messe Solennelle.
Rossini Petite messe solennelle
Monteverdi Choir
Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique
Jakob Lehmann conductor
The Monteverdi Choir & Orchestras’ groundbreaking exploration of Rossini on period instruments continues with the crowning achievement of the composer’s final creative years: the Petite messe solennelle.
Described by the composer as “the last of my péchés de vieillesse" (sins of old age), the Petite messe solennelle was originally scored for twelve singers, two pianos and harmonium. Rossini orchestrated the work the year before his death, but never heard this version in his lifetime; its Paris premiere by the Théâtre-Italien took place in 1869, just a few years before Alexandra Palace Theatre was completed in London.
Rossini joked about the ambiguity of the piece in his inscription at the end of the score: “Good Lord, is this sacred music or opera to a religious text?”. The Monteverdi Choir’s versatility from 17th-century sacred music to 19th-century opera make it the ideal vehicle for this choral showpiece, while the Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique will draw on its deep experience of French Romantic repertoire to recreate the sound world of Rossini’s Paris. Together, with a cast of exceptional soloists and led by Rossini specialist Jakob Lehmann, they will illuminate a work poised between devotion and drama, liturgy and theatre.
