Petite Messe Solennelle

As Napoleon III allegedly quipped, Rossini’s “Small Solemn Mass” is neither small nor solemn. Instead, there are many glimpses of the great opera composer in this late work that Rossini wrote for choir, four soloists, piano, and harmonium. In it, he proves his compositional genius: not only is there a wide range of memorable arias, but Rossini also gives the choir several brilliant fugal movements.