Rossini: Petite Messe Solennelle (2006)

Rossini orchestrated his Petite messe solennelle of 1864 in order, he wrote, to stop "Mr. Sax and his saxophones" and "Mr. Berlioz with other giants from the modern orchestra" from stepping in. Nevertheless, he is said to have preferred the work's original version, for eight choral singers, four soloists, two pianos, and a harmonium. Various versions for the original forces have lately appeared. Each has its advantages, and the main one of this version by British conductor Robert King and his King's Consort is its attempt ... Read More

Rossini orchestrated his Petite messe solennelle of 1864 in order, he wrote, to stop "Mr. Sax and his saxophones" and "Mr. Berlioz with other giants from the modern orchestra" from stepping in. Nevertheless, he is said to have preferred the work's original version, for eight choral singers, four soloists, two pianos, and a harmonium. Various versions for the original forces have lately appeared. Each has its advantages, and the main one of this version by British conductor Robert King and his King's Consort is its attempt at absolute authenticity -- the performance uses pianos and a harmonium of the period (the harmonium is actually a bit wan), and the singers pronounce the words of the Latin mass in a manner claimed to have been the norm for Paris in the 1860s. It's a bit disconcerting to hear the vowel "u" in "benedictus" pronounced in its French pursed-lips way, but you get used to it. The sound design is perfect: the work was written to be sung in a music room of a mansion, and thus the atmosphere... Read Less

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2006, Hyperion UPC: 034571175706 CD See All