Lewisham Choral Society presents Gioachino Rossini’s Petite messe solennelle.

Music lovers should not be fooled by the possibly tongue-in-cheek title Rossini gave to his ‘little solemn mass’: it is definitely not solemn and far from short.

The mass is in fact a substantial work, written by the great opera composer towards the end of his life and after a long break from composition. Originally written for just 12 singers (men, women and castrati) the work is performed nowadays by a somewhat different singing combination!

This performance will be given by a much larger choir together with four excellent soloists: Ellen Mawhinney: soprano, Cathy Bell: mezzo-soprano, Ashley Catling: tenor and Philip Tebb: baritone.

The unusual but highly effective accompaniment will be played by two outstanding musicians, Cliodna Shanahan on piano and James Orford on harmonium, who will also perform 2 Duos by Widor. Singers and accompanists will all be performing under the dynamic baton of Dan Ludford-Thomas.

The music is masterful throughout, combining contrasting passages of great intensity with exuberant high spirits. The jaunty, upbeat Kyrie, for example, has a central unaccompanied polyphonic section reminiscent of Palestrina. As one would expect from Rossini, the work has many glorious operatic sections, affording our soloists the opportunity to explore the full range of their vocal powers. There are many wonderful choral moments too and singers are certainly kept on their toes in the exhilarating fugues!

This ever-popular mass is great fun to perform and will prove to be a sheer delight for the audience.

Conductor: Dan Ludford-Thomas

Piano: Cliodna Shanahan

Harmonium: James Orford

Soprano Ellen Mawhinney

Mezzo-soprano: Cathy Bell

Tenor: Ashley Catling

Baritone: Philip Tebb