On hearing Rossini's Petite messe solennelle, Napoleon III is said to have remarked that it was neither little, nor solemn, nor a mass (it includes the hymn "O salutaris hostia," not part of the conventional mass text). Rossini himself, who wrote very little for public consumption in his later years, spoke lightly and ironically of the work but contradicted himself by orchestrating it later on to make sure it would be preserved. The original work is for chorus, soloists, one or two pianos (both versions existed in Rossini's ...
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On hearing Rossini's Petite messe solennelle, Napoleon III is said to have remarked that it was neither little, nor solemn, nor a mass (it includes the hymn "O salutaris hostia," not part of the conventional mass text). Rossini himself, who wrote very little for public consumption in his later years, spoke lightly and ironically of the work but contradicted himself by orchestrating it later on to make sure it would be preserved. The original work is for chorus, soloists, one or two pianos (both versions existed in Rossini's day), and harmonium. There are numerous recordings of all versions, but the keyboard forms, which respect the dimensions of the work, is preferable, and it receives a strong performance from conductor Tönu Kaljuste and the Kirchheimer Vokal-Consort here. This is a performance of the one-piano-and-harmonium score. The engineering team from Germany's Carus label achieves impressive results in the Noblessner Hall in Tallinn, Estonia, producing a highly resonant sound in a small space...
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