Sunday 21 July 2024, 4pm
St Nicholas’ Chapel, King’s Lynn

King’s Lynn Festival Chorus
Ben Horden Conductor/Piano
Hilary Cronin Soprano
Emma Roberts Mezzo Soprano
Zahid Siddiqui Tenor
Dan D’Souza Baritone
Ian Tindale and Ella O’Niell Pianos
Ben de Souza Accordion

Gioachino Rossini Petite Messe Solennelle

From pathos to ecstasy and packed with all the musical drama of the theatrical stage, Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle is where church meets opera house and transports us to the lavishly furnished salons of Paris, for where the work was intended. With a life and career dedicated to the opera stage, this last of Rossini’s serious works — from the collection Péchés de vieillesse (Sins of old age) — intended to serve as something as a passport to what lies beyond earthly life. Although setting some of the most exalted texts, Rossini remains theatrical to the end and the work comprises an extraordinary variety of outrageous movements, from the melancholy and desolation of the ‘Crucifixus’ to the hair-raising ecstasy of the ‘Et resurrexit’ with love duets, trios, and thrilling fugues between.

The work is performed with chorus, four soloists, two pianos, and accordion (as it was originally intended and rather than with harmonium as it is so often heard). As has become our wont, we are delighted to be joined by a starry team of guest artists: soprano Hilary Cronin, alto Emma Roberts, tenor Zahid Siddiqui, bass Dan D’Souza, pianists Ian Tindale and Ella O’Niell, and accordionist Ben de Souza. The performance is under the direction of Music Director, Ben Horden.

Tickets are on sale from 13 April.

This concert is in association with King’s Lynn Festival.