Stream: Petite Messe Solennelle
Wexford Festival Opera online
For only the second time in its 69 years Wexford Festival has no live performances. Its planned performances of three operas based on Shakespeare plays have been replaced by a free online musical events and lectures, released daily between 11th and 18th October. In Wexford the annual school for young singers, the Wexford Factory is going ahead, with masterclasses given by Irish soprano, Claudia Boyle. The singers involved are participating in a shortened version of Verdi’s ‘Falstaff’, presented nightly in six 20-minute instalments. In modern dress on a comic book set of Wexford town, this promises to be a lot of fun, and a valuable showcase for these talented singers.
The opening concert was a performance of another late masterpiece, Rossini’s ‘Petite Messe Solennelle’, described by the composer as the last sin of his old age, which he hoped would guarantee him admission to Paradise. The mass is “petite” only in the number of its musicians – Rossini wrote it for forces suitable for a salon performance – 12 singers, to include four soloists, plus two pianos and a harmonium. There’s a later orchestral version (written by Rossini because if he didn’t do it, he knew someone else would), and that’s the one, usually with a large choir, which is most often heard
Intriguingly the Wexford version is pretty close to Rossini’s ideal – the chorus of Wexford Factory participants numbers 13, there are four soloists - three Irish singers with international operatic careers, and an Italian tenor - plus two pianos, and a harmonium, all conducted by Belfast-born Kenneth Montgomery. It takes place on the stage of the National Opera House opened in 2008.
This is a lovely – and perhaps under-estimated - work, and it receives here a terrific performance, with the singers clearly enjoying the music, which is melodic, and often rhythmically exciting. There are opportunities for the youthful choir to show its paces, and for the soloists to exhibit their operatic skills. The solemnity of the title refers only to its setting of the full mass, and the mood is often joyous, with plenty of playful invention.
After a restrained Kyrie, in minor keys, by the choir with flowing piano accompaniment, the Gloria, introduced by piano flourish, and short a cappella chorus, mostly features the four soloists in different permutations. The trio for mezzo, tenor and bass is a heart-felt Propter Magnum, and then the two female voices blend beautifully in Qui Tollis Sanctus. The young Sicilian tenor, Pietro Adaini, who has recent bel canto experience in Donizetti and Rossini roles, makes the most of a stirring solo in march time, while Irish bass-baritone John Molloy shows off his ringing voice in Quoniam tu solus sanctus. A spirited Cum sancto spiritu and Amen chorus ends this section – the youthful choir relish the complicated fugal structure and the syncopated rhythms. (If you want to sample this music before listening to the whole piece, I recommend you listen to this part 50 minutes into the recording) Anyone who attended Haydn’s ‘Creation’ with the Scottish Youth Choir a couple of Festivals ago will understand the pleasure of hearing a top-class choir of young singers.
Kenneth Montgomery is an undemonstrative conductor but is alert to the possibilities and contrasting emotions within the score. In the Credo, the text is shared between the choir and the soloists, with solo, or choral declarations of belief interspersed with the short refrain, “Credo, credo”. The middle movement is a soprano solo describing the crucifixion, sung by Claudia Boyle. Her international career has taken off in recent years with her performance as Alice in Gerald Barry’s ‘Alice’s Adventure’s Underground’ at the Royal Opera House being much admired. She sings this beautifully, with sincerity but without exaggerated emotion. A triumphal ‘Et Resurrexit’ follows, and the Credo ends with another glorious Amen chorus, an allegro with a joyous dancing rhythm, for which the keyboard trio provide accomplished support.
Pianist Finghin Collins is the main accompanist, with Carmen Santoro on the second piano and Andrew Synnott on harmonium. Mostly the sound of the instruments is well integrated, with the harmonium providing an unusual, though not unpleasant plangent undertone. However, after the Credo there’s an instrumental interlude, with piano and harmonium alternating in a fairly sombre piece of music. Maybe solo harmonium is a taste I’ve not quite acquired! Incidentally, in the performance I heard in 2018 in Kirkwall Cathedral, an accordion was used. Rossini had suggested it as an alternative, though he didn’t think it was suitable for a church.
Unusually, the Sanctus and Benedictus are sung a capella by the choir and soloists, a focussed piece of hushed singing, getting louder only briefly in the final hosannahs. O ‘Salutaris Hostia’, another soprano solo, follows. This hymn with words by Thomas Aquinas isn’t part of the mass but was added when Rossini wrote the orchestral version of the work.
Tara Erraught is the most experienced of the singers – though she’s still only 34. Her mature mezzo has been a secure presence in the ensembles so far, and she comes into her own in the Agnus Dei, the final movement. She sings with quiet assurance in the early sections with pianissimo choral responses, and concludes with the full-bodied plea, Dona nobis pacem. It’s a moving finale to the mass, presented by Wexford as a tribute to the victims of Covid 19.
During the last few months, we’ve become aware of the difficulties of finding music that will appeal online. In Rossini’s ‘Petite Messe Solenelle’, Wexford Festival have made an inspired choice. It’s in keeping with their tradition of producing lesser known bel canto works. It features, as they often do, established Irish singers and provides a springboard for new ones. And in Pietro Adaini they may have found an emergent talent to match previous Wexford debutants, Juan Diego Florez and Joseph Calleja.
The full Wexford programme with links to all the online events can be accessed easily at https://www.wexfordopera.com/
Don’t miss the introductory speech by Irish President, Michael D Higgins – a politician who recognises the value of the arts.
