Rare orchestral performance of Rossini's Petite Messe Solennelle

On Wednesday, November 5, 2008 at 8:00PM, Kent Tritle leads the Choir and Orchestra of St. Ignatius Loyola in Rossini's own rarely performed orchestration of his Petite Messe Solennelle, a massive and rather unusual setting of the Latin Mass which has been described as neither little, nor solemn, nor particularly liturgical. Rossini combines glorious choral polyphony inspired by the writing of Handel and Bach, with bravura bel canto arias and their delightfully theatrical accompaniment, revealing even in this "sacred" work the operatic fervor and wit for which he was beloved. Rossini wrote the Petite Messe Solennelle in 1863 and called it "the last mortal sin of my old age". It was originally written for soloists, chamber chorus, two pianos and harmonium but he arranged the work for full orchestra in 1866-67, just before his death in 1868.



The New York Times recently hailed the Choir of St. Ignatius Loyola as "finely polished" and praised the Orchestra for their "electrifying" playing. Soloists for this performance are soprano Rachel Rosales, mezzo-soprano Charlotte Daw Paulsen, tenor Eleazar Rodriguez and bass-baritone Charles Perry Sprawls.



At 7:00PM, Eric Plutz, University Organist of Princeton University, performs a pre-concert organ recital of music by Camille Saint-Saëns.



On Monday, November 3 at 7:00PM, we continue our informative Let's Hear More! lecture series as Kent Tritle, soloists Rachel Rosales and Charles Perry Sprawls and other musical guests explore the original 1863 version of the Petite Messe Solennelle for two pianos and harmonium.



This performance is made possible by generous support from the Isaacson-Draper Foundation
and marks the tenth anniversary of the death of Robert Isaacson.


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All concerts take place at the Church of St. Ignatius Loyola, 980 Park Avenue at 84th Street, New York City, easily reached via the 4/5/6 subway lines or buses on Madison, Lexington, and Fifth Avenues, and on 86th Street. The church is accessible to the physically challenged.



Choral and organ series subscriptions are available at a savings of up to 25%. Single tickets for all concerts are now available. Concert information and tickets are available by calling the concert information line at 212-288-2520 and through Sacred Music in a Sacred Space's website at www.smssconcerts.org. Email inquiries may also be sent to [email protected]. Cash, checks and all major credit cards are accepted.