‘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.’
Those were the self-deprecating words that Rossini inscribed at the
end of the score of his
Petite Messe Solenelle.
Was there ever a less appropriate title for a piece of music than that
which Rossini gave to his late setting of the Mass? Lasting some 85
minutes it is scarcely ‘petite’ in scale - certainly not
when heard in his later orchestral version - and arguably much of the
music is not exactly solemn in tone. The use of the word ‘solenelle’
is deliberate in order to distinguish the setting from a
Messe basse.
While Rossini may perhaps have planted his tongue in his cheek when
using the word ‘petite’ the scale, if not the length, was
modest in the original version for which a vocal ensemble of just twelve
singers, including the four soloists, was specified, accompanied by
two pianos and harmonium. Furthermore, as Stephen Jay-Taylor points
out in his note, the only two performances that took place in the composer’s
lifetime were given in private. He also adds the interesting fact that
in a letter written in 1866 Rossini, who was by then clearly intending
to orchestrate the piece, described his original accompaniment as ‘provisional’.
The orchestration was completed in 1867 but it was not performed in
this format until 1869, by which time Rossini was dead.
Though I first became acquainted with the work in its original version
- in a good recording by the CBSO Chorus and Simon Halsey, which I suspect
is no longer available - I prefer it in its orchestral guise, largely
because there’s so much more colour in that scoring. Both versions
are equally valid and there’s a certain charm about the sound
of the harmonium, wheezing away in the original version. It took some
time, I believe, for the orchestral edition to achieve a recording and
I think I’m right in saying that the Decca recording that Riccardo
Chailly made in Bologna in May 1993 was the first. There have not been
all that many recordings of the orchestral version since then. The Chailly
account, released in 1995 and which I acquired years ago, is still in
the catalogue and many collectors will have it so I thought some comparisons
between it and this newcomer would be in order.
Sir Antonio Pappano’s credentials as a Rossini conductor have
already been established strongly with his splendid recording of the
Stabat Mater, about which Simon Thompson was very enthusiastic
(
review)
though Robert J Farr very fairly expressed one or two reservations (
review).
There has also been a DVD recording of
Il Barbiere di Siviglia
(
review)
and an audio recording of
William Tell, though neither of those
has come my way.
This new recording of
Petite Messe Solenelle is very impressive.
Pappano’s chorus is on fine form throughout. They’re full-throated
and committed when required to sing loudly - at the start and end of
the
Gloria, for example, or at the beginning of the
Credo.
They also do the fugues at the end of both the
Gloria and the
Credo well; their vivacious account of the latter fugue is especially
good and it’s not their fault that the music itself goes on rather
too long. However, their soft singing impresses just as much; they’re
very fine in the
Sanctus and
Benedictus movements and
their hushed interjections in the
Agnus Dei are extremely well
judged. The singing is well disciplined throughout. Chailly’s
Bolognese chorus sings well for him but I think that their Roman rivals
have the edge. One thing that puzzles me slightly is that Chailly’s
chorus sounds more Italianate in the way they deliver the words; I would
have expected two Italian choirs to be similar in this respect. That’s
one factor that inclines me to favour Pappano’s singers. The Roman
chorus sounds a bit more focused than Chailly’s choir, especially
in the softer passages. The somewhat greater presence of the EMI sound
helps - the performers are a bit closer - but I think it’s also
a question of choral style and technique.
Both orchestras are very accomplished. Once again, it is the Rome orchestra
that makes the stronger impact, partly due to the recorded sound. However,
in at least one key passage Chailly’s players are to be preferred,
as we shall see.
All the soloists in this new version are Italian with the exception
of the young Latvian soprano, Marina Rebeka. Her voice was new to me
though I see she impressed Simon Thompson in a 2010 concert performance
of
War Requiem (
review).
In fact I haven’t heard any of the soloists before, with the exception
of Sara Mingardo. All do well. Francesco Meli is, as you might expect,
very Italianate in his vowel production and, to be honest, I’m
not altogether sold on that. However, he’s greatly to be preferred
to his rival on the Chailly set, Giuseppe Sabbatini. In the principal
tenor solo, the cheerful, jaunty
Domine Deus, Sabbatini’s
tone is tight and unpleasantly narrow in focus whereas Meli is open-throated
and much superior.
Chailly enjoys an advantage, though a less clear-cut one, when it comes
to the bass soloists. Alex Esposito sings well for Pappano, deploying
a firm, clear voice throughout and singing with style and good taste.
He gives a good account of
Quoniam tu solus Sanctus. However,
Michele Pertusi, who sings for Chailly, is more imposing; in fact his
singing is superb at all times and he has the right amount of vocal
weight and presence - not too much, but just enough. It was only after
doing my listening that I did a little web research on the soloists
and discovered that Alex Esposito is described on his own web site as
a bass-baritone, whereas EMI bill him as a bass. Pertusi is unquestionably
a bass. I don’t think anyone buying this new recording will be
disappointed by Esposito but there’s much to be said for a slightly
more substantial voice in this part.
Both recordings have excellent female soloists. Marina Rebeka and Sara
Mingardo sing their operatic duet,
Qui tollis peccata mundi very
expressively and often with sensuous tone. However, Chailly’s
ladies, Daniella Dessi and Gloria Scalchi, sound absolutely gorgeous
in this number. They’re a bit more relaxed than their rivals and
they win this ‘round’ by a narrow margin. In the
Crucifixus
both sopranos give great pleasure but I find the rich tone of Daniella
Dessi particularly irresistible. Both singers are very expressive but
arguably Miss Rebeka tries just a little too hard, giving her rival
the edge. Just before orchestrating the work Rossini dropped in an extra
movement in the form of a setting for the soprano soloist of
O salutaris
hostia. Rebeka does it very well; the music covers a wide vocal
compass and her reading of the piece is dramatic and committed. However,
Daniella Dessi gives a melting performance that is simply to die for,
caressing the vocal line in a way that won me over completely. I mentioned
earlier that there’s at least one point in the score where Chailly’s
orchestra has the edge over their Roman colleagues: this is it. The
strings are silky. Perhaps it helps that they’re recorded a bit
more distantly but the playing is also extremely fine; I wonder if Chailly
got the players to use mutes. Pappano’s strings, though excellent
too, sound more ‘present’ in this movement and don’t
convey the magic that’s in the Chailly. In any event, Chailly’s
adorable soprano seals the deal here.
The
Agnus Dei contains the deepest music in the piece - the movement
which, in my view, comes closest to matching the eloquence of the
Stabat
Mater. Here the alto soloist takes the lead and both versions under
consideration have top class performers. Gloria Scalchi’s singing
is distinguished and she is very involving. Working under studio conditions
she brings perhaps a touch more poise to the music than Sara Mingardo
but that is emphatically not meant as a criticism of Miss Mingardo.
Her performance for Pappano is very committed and, perhaps inspired
by the presence of an audience, she brings a supplicatory quality to
the music and invests it with great feeling. When you add in the fact
that the hushed choral passages are better done in the EMI recording
then that is the preferable version of the last movement.
Comparing Chailly and Pappano is a case of swings and roundabouts. Both
performances are extremely good as are the recordings, though if you
hear the Decca recording and then the EMI production you may be inclined
to agree with me that the latter has more presence and punch. Both benefit
from the fact that the conductors are highly experienced in opera; that’s
vital in such music. Pressed to a choice, and with a
very regretful
backward glance towards Daniella Dessi, I think I’d have to award
the palm to Pappano, who has the better chorus and certainly the better
tenor. The recorded sound on his version has more impact and his performance
is just a degree or two more dramatic and red-blooded even than Chailly’s
committed reading.
This is a fine and welcome follow-up to Pappano’s recording of
Rossini’s
Stabat Mater and, indeed, to his account of the
greatest of Romantic Italian sacred works, the Verdi
Requiem
(
review)
.
Opportunities to hear this piece live are not all that frequent, especially
in the orchestral version, so this fine and very enjoyable new recording
is all the more welcome.
John Quinn
