Saturday 17 May 2025, 7.30pm

Chester Cathedral

Heather Buckmaster soprano
Joyce Tindsley mezzo-soprano
Joseph Buckmaster tenor
Armand Rabot bass
Chester Music Society Choir
Graham Eccles Piano
Jon Barton harmonium
Graham Jordan Ellis conductor

tickets, priced at £30 (nave), £25 (West Steps) and £15 (side aisles).
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The Petite messe Solenelle is structured in several extended movements in the tradition of the missa solemnis, but the composer labelled it petite with a grain of irony. He wrote on the last page of the autograph manuscript

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, as you well know. Not much technique, a little bit of heart, that's all. Blessings to you and grant me Paradise.

The unusual scoring for voices, piano and harmonium is in the Neapolitan harpsichord tradition of the 18th century. Rossini specified, on the second page of his manuscript, twelve singers in all, noting on the title page: "Twelve singers of three sexes, men, women and castrati will suffice for its execution: that is, eight for the choir, four soloists, in all twelve cherubim".