Exploring Rossini with James Baillieu
Queen’s Hall, 24/8/24
Rossini ‘Petite Messe Solennelle’, James Baillieu director/piano, Mark Austin coach/piano, Sofia Ros González accordion
Sopranos: Catriona Hewitson, Holly Teague, Holly Brown
Altos: Georgia Mae Ellis, Kelsey Lauritano, Hannah Bennett
Tenors: Liam McNally, Euan McDonald, Ferdinand Keller
Bass: Smelo Mahlangu, Jonathan Eyers, George Robarts
Rossini’s late masterpiece, ‘Petite Messe Solennelle’ is given an outstanding performance by twelve opera singers in the early stages of their careers. Originally billed as the culmination of a project to be directed by Thomas Quasthoff, James Baillieu, the English pianist and choral director took over some weeks ago. He’s been assisted in training the singers, chosen by audition, by pianist and coach, Mark Austin. Their training of the singers, and accompaniment today has clearly been exemplary, although there’s no information available about the rehearsal process
Rossini said the work was one of “the sins of my old age”, and surely continued to pull our legs when he replaced the liturgical term ‘Solemn High Mass’ with his ‘Solemn Little Mass’. With its original accompaniment of piano and harmonium, and sung, as it is today by twelve choristers, its forces were also small. An orchestral version exists, which I’ve never heard, but I enjoyed a splendid performance, with harmonium and piano, by a large Orcadian choir in St Magnus Cathedral some years ago.
The twelve singers, in threes from left to right, sopranos, altos, basses and tenors, are on a raised platform at the back of the stage behind two grand pianos, and the accordion. Played with verve by Sofia Ros González, it is an imaginative, though not quite so wheezy, modern replacement for the harmonium. The ‘Kyrie eleison’ with rhythmic piano and accordion accompaniment, is sung by the whole choir, in an arrangement which would not seem amiss in a Haydn Mass, although the bracingly clear acapella ‘Christe eleison’, conducted by Mark Austin, is an unexpected and repeated feature of this work.
In the ‘Gloria’, Rossini unleashes his operatic (perhaps his ‘sinful’) side with quartets, duets and two solos, which might have come from an opera seria or occasionally an opera buffa. English tenor, Liam McNally makes jovial work of the Dixit Dominus. Though Rossini doesn’t expect the vocal acrobatics of his early operas, this is a difficult aria in which Liam McNally is entirely secure. Edinburgh soprano, Catriona Hewitson, experienced in Scottish Opera roles, including a fine Tytania in Britten’s ‘Midsummer Night’s Dream,’ and English mezzo, Hannah Bennet, another alumna of the RCS, duet in a Mozartian, ‘Qui Tollis’. South African bass-baritone, Smelo Mahlangu delivers a martial ‘Quoniam’, with complicated dotted rhythms, and the ‘Gloria’ finishes with a fugal ‘Cum Sancto Spiritu’, again with a nicely rendered acapella section.
The ‘Creed’, with its dull text uses a catchy choral repetition of ‘credo’ throughout, rather as Mozart does in his ‘Great Mass in C’. Rossini develops the brief narrative section about the crucifixion into a lyrical soprano aria, sung with sensitivity by Holly Brown. And in the final ‘Agnus Dei’, Japanese-American mezzo, Kelsey Lauritano demonstrates the power of her lower register in her solo – possibly written for a contralto - with choir accompaniment.
This wholly impressive performance of a lesser-known work showcases the talents and potential of all twelve singers: from the UK, Germany, South Africa, New Zealand and the US, many already have contracts with British and European opera companies. The audience, who listen with complete attention and applaud enthusiastically, will surely look out for their names in the future.
I have a niggling question. The title, ‘Exploring Rossini’ and the reference to twelve “student” participants, suggest a workshop-style event, and certainly not the polished, thoroughly-prepared concert by professional singers and accompanists that we saw. I estimate the turnout at around 60% and believe that accurate publicity would have encouraged many more people to attend.
