Petite Messe solennelle – Chor und Orchester der Neanderkirche

Gioachino Rossini was the king of comic opera, but he retired at the height of his fame and devoted himself to the culinary arts from then on. Thirty-four years after he stopped composing, he made an exception with the “Petite Messe Solennelle,” which, with its unusual instrumentation of two pianos and a harmonium, is considered a masterpiece. Rossini included an ironic letter with the score: “Dear God, here it is, the poor little mass […] I was made for comic opera, as You well know. A little skill, a little heart—that’s all. So be praised, and let me enter paradise.” The performance features the Neanderkirche Choir and an exquisite ensemble of opera-trained soloists under the direction of Sebastian Klein.