Date/Time
08/06/2018 (19:30)
Location
Bedford Corn Exchange
Conductor: Ian Smith
With Tim Grant-Jones (piano) and Roy Tipping (harmonium).
Soloists Elizabeth Bottone (soprano), Lily Papaioannou (mezzo soprano), Ben Johnson (tenor),
Phillip Tebb (bass).
Rossini intended this mass for performance in a venue other than a church. Despite the title it is not ‘petite’ (lasting over an hour), but it is, by Rossini’s standards, solemn. A more operatic mass it is difficult to find. It is full of wonderful operatic-style melodies. The scoring is unusual, being for piano and harmonium alone. It was this scoring that Rossini preferred. This work is entertaining, memorable and perfect to enjoy on a summer evening.
The mass is partnered by Felix Guilmant’s Pastorale and Marche Triomphale for harmonium and piano. Guilmant was an organist, composer and teacher in nineteenth century Paris, where the harmonium had evolved.
