‘The very soul of Rossini comes through in it.’
Emmanuel Trenque on the ‘Petite messe solennelle’
- Reading time
- 4 min.
On Saturday 12 October, the La Monnaie Choruses will launch their season with Gioachino Rossini’s Petite messe solennelle. Between two rehearsals, their Artistic director Emmanuel Trenque sheds light on what makes this piece so beautiful, from the pious pianissimos to the champagne of the fugues.
What exactly made you choose to programme this Petite messe?
Its purity. Rossini was nearing the end of his life. He hadn’t composed such an impressive score for thirty-five years, ever since his virtual retirement after the opera Guillaume Tell in 1829. Out of the blue, he surprised everyone with this work that is at once monumental and intimate. His very soul comes through in it, I find. He lays it bare before the Eternal in a work of great piety that is both poignant and incarnate. In places, the music seems almost impalpable. And this touches me greatly.
‘Dear God … here it is, that poor little mass. Is it really a sacred score that I’ve just written or rather a hell of a score? As you well know, I was born for opera buffa! Not much art, just a little heart and that should do it. So, praise to you, Lord, and please grant me paradise ...’
Gioachino Rossini
What qualities are required to perform it?
For the chorus, the key is not to be too demonstrative. If you look at the score, you will see lots of piano and pianissimo markings; at the beginning of the ‘Kyrie’, there is even a pppp, so a quadruple piano. Rossini clearly wanted to underline the feeling of contemplation appropriate to this Mass. There are of course some sweeping choral flights, but I think you have to concentrate on the nuances. This also holds for the soloists, who mustn’t be too lyrical, especially considering the reduced accompaniment. It is a delicate exercise, because the voices can sometimes blend less well in the piano passages. A voice that stands out from the rest can upset the balance.
Which version of the Petite messe will you be performing?
We will be performing the version with piano, harmonium and four soloists. The piece was originally commissioned by Count Alexis Pillet-Will for his wife Louise. It was to be performed privately in an intimate setting. Given the subsequent requests to put on the Petite messe solennelle in increasingly large churches, Rossini prepared a version for chorus and full orchestra. But the essence of the work is to be found in the smaller formations. The slight contradiction present in the title is interesting in itself: the playful ‘petite’ on account of the initial company of eight choristers and four soloists (who also sang in the ensembles) and ‘solennelle’ on account of the traditional order of a mass and the use of Latin throughout. For the original accompaniment, Rossini had the ingenious idea of pairing the piano, the prime instrument of Romanticism, with the harmonium. The harmonium follows the same principle as the organ, with pedals that activate bellows, allowing dynamic effects of crescendos and diminuendos that would otherwise be impossible to produce. This creates unexpected sonorities while establishing a link between the keyboard of the piano and the breath of the choruses. For this concert, Bart Rodyns will be playing one of his many collector’s instruments, a magnificent Alexandre harmonium from 1894.
How does this piece differ from Rossini’s operas?
It is quite unlike the rest of his repertoire, but it does still reflect his identity as a composer. There are two great fugues at the end of the ‘Gloria’ and the ‘Credo’, respectively, where you can hear the really fun, spirited, theatrical, bubbly, almost swinging element of his opera finales, like in Act 1 of The Barber of Seville. When you reach these two passages, all you can think is, ‘That’s him. That’s Rossini!’ But there are also passages where you think you must be listening to Palestrina or Bach. Rossini also worked a lot on the harmonies and on the distribution of the text: the ‘Kyrie’ only for the chorus, the ‘Christe’ only a cappella, a passage from the ‘Credo’ only for the soloists. Everything flows together superbly, thanks to, for example, a piano chord or a modulation that are going to keep up the tension at the end of one section before moving on to the next.
The work of a chorus master
I met the chorus during the production of Meyerbeer’s Les Huguenots in 2022. At the time, they didn’t have a permanent conductor and La Monnaie would hire a conductor for each production, like a drawn-out job interview. It was quite challenging because there were more than two hours of choral music to work on in this opera. But right away, a bond was formed with the singers of La Monnaie. I discovered a chorus committed to excellence. Since my appointment as permanent conductor, I have tried to guide the chorus towards the ideal sound, with due respect for the vocal style, the period and the composer. I give myself fully to every rehearsal and I believe that this commitment encourages the members of the choruses to always give their best. Beyond that, I think I am quite demanding when it comes to respecting the smallest details of each score, which have to be executed as purely and sincerely as possible. This gives us a certain flexibility with regard to directors and orchestra conductors. And I try to make sure that there is always a pleasant work atmosphere!
Which extract from the Petit messe solennelle would you choose to listen to on repeat?
The part I have been listening to on repeat for several years now is the final fugue in the ‘Gloria’, entitled ‘Cum sancto spiritu’. You can feel all the joy of Rossini’s music in it, all the bubbliness. What’s more, this fugue is magnificently structured, with ‘demonic’ precision. Once you start listening to it, it is impossible to stop.
What emotions can the audience expect?
The concert was originally meant to take place in the Dominican Church, which would have been ideal to create a unique atmosphere. But I am delighted that we are ultimately going to sing in the Theatre, even though the feeling will be different. The performance is going to depend on the state of mind of people that morning and on the energy in the Main Auditorium. I hope people will let the music transport them, guide them, soothe them. There is something mysterious about the beginning of the piece, with the instruments and then the voices arriving very gradually and the melody seeming to emanate from nowhere. I would invite the audience to close their eyes for the first few minutes and let the magic begin …
Translation: Patrick Lennon
