Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle will be performed in Findlater’s Church, Parnell Square by Our Lady’s Choral Society with Adam McDonagh, Niall Kinsella, David O’Shea and wonderful soloists conducted by Proinnsías O’ Duinn.

Our Lady’s Choral Society Presents:

Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle

Soprano:     Sinéad Campbell Wallace 

Alto:             Leanne Fitzgerald

Tenor:          Andrew Gavin

Bass:            Padraic Rowan

Conductor:  Proinnsías Ó Duinn

Our Lady’s Choral Society

Sunday 19th May 2024 at 3.30pm in Findlater’s Church, Parnell Square Dublin 1

Tickets are available through eventbrite  click here

Standard admission  €20
Seniors/ Students     €15

In 1829, at the age of 37, having composed 39 operas, Rossini decided to retire and went back to Bologna. He had lots of money, but his health was not particularly good. He returned to Paris with his wife in 1855 and for the next 13 years, until his death in 1868, he became renowned for his musical salons on Saturdays. These were so popular that even people like Liszt, Rubinstein and Verdi dropped by when in town.
It was for one of those occasions, at a friend’s request, that he composed the Petite Messe Solennelle. The last page of the autograph manuscript reveals this modest paragraph:

“Dear Lord, here it is finished, this poor little mass. Have I just written sacred music, or rather, sacrilegious music? I was born for opera buffa, (comic opera) as you well know. Not much technique, a little bit of heart, that’s all. Blessings to you, dear Lord, and grant me Paradise.”

Composed for four soloists, choir, 2 pianos and a harmonium, it was so well received that it had to be repeated to a wider audience.
One critic wrote that even after such a long absence, this was truly vintage Rossini. The composer of William Tell stands proudly before you in his eminence, and you realize with astonishment that neither time nor inactivity have caused any loss of the intelligence with which he is so marvelously endowed. He demonstrated the same facility of invention, equal melodic abundance, an unwavering nobility of style and  elegance, the familiar novel twists and richness of harmony. In short, his continued audacity and happy choice of modulation,  vigor of conception and of expression, careful disposition of the voices, continued to affirm his masterful and authoritative skill in the overall scheme of the work, as well as in the structure of each movement. Time has not eroded his legacy.