Proms at … The Chapel, Old Royal Naval College: 6.08.16

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Proms at … The Chapel, Old Royal Naval College
15:00 Saturday 6 Aug 2016
The Chapel, Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich

Gioachino Rossini: Petite messe solennelle

Elizabeth Watts, soprano
Kathryn Rudge, mezzo-soprano
Peter Auty, tenor
James Platt, bass
Richard Pearce, harmonium
Iain Farrington, piano
BBC Singers
David Hill, conductor

"The last mortal sin of my old age" was how Rossini described his Little Solemn Mass - which, famously, is neither short nor solemn, and so influenced by the music of the opera house that even to call it a Mass seems out of place. Elaborate choruses, fabulously operatic solo writing - by turns dramatic, expressive and humorous - have made this extraordinary piece one of the icons of the 19th-century choral repertoire. In it, Rossini reflected the contrast of his own witty exterior concealing sincere religious belief. Here, joy is tinged with grief and anxiety, amid vocal writing of purity and pungency.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07mv2c9

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

A Prom without a number, labelled in previous seasons as Proms Saturday Matinees.

[jean]

[Rossini's] Little Solemn Mass - which, famously, is neither short nor solemn...

A pedant writes...Those who 'famously' point this out forget that 'solemn' doesn't mean 'solemn':

Solemn Mass (Latin: missa solemnis), sometimes also referred to as Solemn High Mass or simply High Mass, is...the full ceremonial form of the Tridentine Mass, celebrated by a priest with a deacon and a subdeacon, requiring most of the parts of the Mass to be sung, and the use of incense.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

A pedant writes...Those who 'famously' point this out forget that 'solemn' doesn't mean 'solemn':

Solemn Mass (Latin: missa solemnis), sometimes also referred to as Solemn High Mass or simply High Mass, is...the full ceremonial form of the Tridentine Mass, celebrated by a priest with a deacon and a subdeacon, requiring most of the parts of the Mass to be sung, and the use of incense.

I felt more than a little uncomfortable about cutting and pasting that text from the BBC schedule. I suspect their website contributions are written by people similar to whoever writes the crass headlines on R3's Facebook page.

[Pulcinella]

I felt more than a little uncomfortable about cutting and pasting that text from the BBC schedule. I suspect their website contributions are written by people similar to whoever writes the crass headlines on R3's Facebook page.

The 'famously......' comment also appears in the printed Proms guide blurb for this concert.
Don't feel bad, Alpie: the BaL summaries that you copy over are equally dire on occasion.

[subcontrabass]

Questions:

(1) What has happened to the second piano?

(2) With a large chorus how do you observe the careful distinctions that Rossini made between "Chorus" (chorus singing alone) and "Tutti" (soloists singing with the chorus)? (Using Rossini's original specification for 4 soloists and only 8 in the chorus this distinction would be clear in the sound made.)

Comment:

This work shows Rossini's great versatility and not just his "operatic" style. The Christe eleison movement for unaccompanied choir is a beautiful pastiche of 16th century writing. The final chorus in the Gloria is a fugue running for about 30 pages in the score, not only comparable to the final chorus in his Stabat Mater but also standing up well in comparison with Bach's fugues.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Questions:

...

(2) With a large chorus how do you observe the careful distinctions that Rossini made between "Chorus" (chorus singing alone) and "Tutti" (soloists singing with the chorus)? (Using Rossini's original specification for 4 soloists and only 8 in the chorus this distinction would be clear in the sound made.)

On this occasion, it isn't a large chorus. (Some might argue that it isn't a choir at all, just a collection of soloists. )