On March 9, the Gronau & Rheine Municipal Music Associations will present a “Petite Me…

On March 9, the Gronau & Rheine Municipal Music Associations will perform a “Petite Messe Solennelle” at the Evangelical City Church in Gronau.🎶

The “Petite Messe Solennelle,” the “Little Solemn Mass” for vocal solos, choir, and two pianos (one piano is sufficient) and harmonium, with its moving musical language, is a gem among liturgical works—one of the most remarkable settings of the Catholic Mass text, both in terms of the circumstances of its creation and its musical form.

Rossini composed the Mass in 1863 for the dedication of the private chapel of a couple of Counts in Paris who were friends of his. And there was no room there for large choral and orchestral works, such as were typical throughout Europe in the 19th century.

With its overall scope, the Mass follows in the tradition of a “Missa solemnis,” yet the composer nevertheless labeled it “small.” Rossini writes about it in an ironic dedication: “Dear God. Here it is, this poor little Mass. Have I really composed sacred music—or is it cursed music after all? I was born for opera buffa (comic opera). So be praised, and grant me paradise.”

After all, the service lasts 90 minutes.

Performers: Gronau-Rheine Municipal Music Associations
St. Martini Choir, Münster
Soprano: Diana Petrova
Tenor: Daniel Schliewa
Alto: Dagmar Linde

You can get tickets at our tourist information office!