Rossini: Petite messe solennelle
Sandrine Piau (soprano), José Maria lo Monaco (mezzo-soprano), Edgardo Rocha (tenor), Christian Senn (bass)
Giulio Prandi / Coro Ghislieri (Arcana)
(scroll down for English review)
名字雖為《小莊嚴彌撒曲》，但長度一點都不短，是羅西尼賺夠收山30多年後最大型作品，原本是為了悼念舊友，把舊友作的《垂憐經》合唱曲稍作改編，最後欲罷不能，寫成一首完整的彌撒曲。最初寫來不是用來在音樂廳演出，而是在某銀行家的大宅演出，所以伴奏只是兩部鋼琴及一部簧風琴，不過後來羅西尼另編了一個管弦樂版本。
這錄音採用鋼琴版本，不單用了兩部那個年代（此作於1864年首演）的法國鋼琴，合唱也只是12人，比首演少四人，當算是原音演出。以前沒有細心聽完這首作品，雖然另外有不少錄音有更知名的演出者，我被這個新錄音吸引、終於決心好好聽完，是因為女高音Piau及男高音Rocha都是一流歌劇歌手。
小冊子作者說此作見到巴哈的影響，因為羅西尼在1851年開始訂購巴哈全集（逐冊出版，所以要訂），重燃他青年時對對位法的興趣，所以老年時決意學好巴哈的賦格。在這首作品羅西尼就用賦格曲去完結《榮耀經》及《信經》，分別在軌10及14，都是精彩絕倫的高潮。《信經》完結後，為了讓合唱團休息（唱賦格很辛苦的），羅西尼寫了一段十分鐘的鋼琴獨奏（軌15），作為《聖哉經》的前奏曲。
我既非那位作者是羅西尼專家，當然也不是巴哈專家，不過除了賦格曲，我更加感受到巴哈《B小調彌撒曲》的影響，尤其是在軌七、八、九、12的詠嘆調。羅西尼身為歌劇泰斗，當然會用人聲，不過這些詠嘆調我看其實像巴哈多過羅西尼自己的歌劇。我拋出一個聽此曲的理由而已，沒有幾多真憑實據。
（連結為Spotify，下面放了Markus Creed指揮的錄音的YouTube連結。）
This “Little” Solemn Mass is anything but little, clocking in at almost 90 minutes. But the configuration of the first performance is a small one, with fewer than 20 singers plus soloists and only three keyboard players (two pianos, one harmonium). I chose this recording because of Sandrine Piau and Edgardo Rocha, both excellent singers on the opera stage. Also, Giulio Prandi sought to reproduce the sound world of the original by using a choir of 12 singers and two contemporary French pianos.
The booklet writer suggested that this late Rossini work was heavily influenced by Bach, especially the polyphony. Rossini became a subscriber of the complete Bach edition in 1851 and the study of Bach rekindled his juvenile passion in counterpoint. In this work, both Gloria and Credo are concluded by a breathtaking fugue (tracks 10 and 14). Then Rossini wrote a meditative 10-minute piano interlude to let his choristers catch their breaths.
But to me, not just the choral writing but also the solo writing showed the Bachian influence. I guess Rossini’s glorious operatic career makes one assume he already knew enough when writing for solo voices. You might like to try the arias or duets in tracks 7, 8, 9, 12 to see if they’re more like the B minor Mass or a Rossini opera.
(There’s a YouTube link to the Marcus Creed recording if you can’t access the Spotify link.)