"Dear God: here it is finished, this poor little Mass... I was born for opera buffa, you know it well! A little science, some heart, that's all..."

- composer's envoi to "Petite Messe Solennelle".

Rossini is generally perceived as an operatic composer, and thus, his sacred works are sometimes perceived as lacking in the light of other pieces in a similar vein. Some have also remarked that Rossini's sacral works are simple continuations of the traditions he created during his compositional career. In many ways, it is so, as the presented two works show. But, like in most cases with Rossini and belcanto, the pieces never lose a certain irresistible charm and beauty.

In this new series of uploads I am pairing up two completely different but, nonetheless, both surprisingly refreshing masses by Rossini: an early, even a bit immature work, "Messa di Milano", and a later, more elaborate piece, "Messa di Gloria" (which comes from the 1820s). My goals fall into to two categories: first off, to present the selections that I have chosen for posting and to provide some short ideas on the works; and, secondly, as the pieces, like most masses, follows the same basic structure and share the same text, to compare them.

Little is known about the circumstances that led to the composition of the first mass. The name gives us a location of the premiere but no other information is truly clear. While the music forms a stylistic whole, it is not known exactly if the three set sections (Kyrie, Gloria and Credo) are meant to be together: they might have been parts of a complete setting of the Mass Ordinary. Whatever the time, the place and the musical surroundings, the work, especially considering Rossini's young age, is very charming and entertaining, the presumed sacral nature of the piece notwithstanding.

I'm only uploading several selections, including the complete Kyrie, Gratias, the Domine Deus (both set as terzets) etc., which I consider rewarding in some way or another. I'm providing the whole structure of the piece to give you a basic idea of the way Rossini set up the classical Mass succession, while the presented pieces are marked by a "*".

Susanne Mentzer - contralto,
Raul Gimenez & Ian Bostridge - tenors,
Simone Alaimo - bass.

1. Kyrie (*; chorus). A surprisingly intense choral opening, reminding one of the stunning opening to "Mose in Egitto" with its' flowing string line, sustained choral writing and minor ending. The only truly "sacral" section.
2. Christe (*; arioso for tenor). An enlightened arioso, contrasting superbly with the previous minor setting. Like most pieces in the work, a very operatic section, completely untraditional for a mass, but one has to remind oneself that each person perceives God differently.
3. Kyrie (*; chorus & terzettino for tenors and bass). A surprisingly sunny closing to the section but effective in its' function. The middle terzettino is more lyrical.
4. Gloria (chorus & terzettino for the same).
5. Laudamus (aria for contralto).
6. Gratias (chorus).
7. Domine Deus (terzettino for tenor, contralto & bass).
8. Qui tollis (aria for contralto).
9. Quoniam (aria for bass).
10. Cum sancto spiritu (a repeat, albeit to a different text, of the "Gloria" section).
11. Credo (chorus).
12. Crucifixus (aria for contralto).
13. Resurrexit (chorus).

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