May 2026

Cirencester Choral Society Concert May 2026

Rossini Petite Messe Solennelle and Jenny Rees Praise the Lord
by Julian Elloway

Cirencester Choral Society

A well-filled parish church greeted Cirencester Choral Society for its performance of Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle. But first came Jenny Rees’s Praise the Lord, written for the Society and receiving its second performance. It is an attractive if unexpectedly gentle treatment of the words, despite well-placed climaxes. Its musical subtlety was enjoyed by the audience and also clearly by the singers. Written to be performed before the Rossini, also with piano and harmonium, it provided an effective prelude.

Right from the opening of Rossini’s so-called ‘solemn little Mass’ (neither little nor solemn), we were able to enjoy hearing a 1879 harmonium by the same manufacturer of the one used in Rossini’s first performance. Its sound effectively cut through the piano and choir textures and was clearer in its contribution to the overall effect than is often heard. It is not an easy instrument to play musically and the versatile Charles Matthews was masterful, not least in the solo Prélude religieux.

Having heard the choir recently in English music, I wondered how they would fare with Italian repertoire, operatic in style. The answer is splendidly. From the opening Kyrie onwards, tempi were well judged so that the music always had a sense of flow. The two massive choruses at the end of the Gloria and start of the Credo (separated by the interval), rather than giving everything at the start, had carefully paced dynamics so that, especially in the ‘Cum Sancto Spiritu’, each climax outdid the previous one. Carleton Etherington’s choir sang with enthusiasm and precision, here and in the opening chorus including its unaccompanied contrapuntal ‘Christe’ section.

The final chorus was confidently fervent, benefiting from Juliet Curnow’s warm mezzo-soprano solo. Hannah Grove characterized the soprano solos, suitably passionate in the ‘Crucifixus’ and almost flirty in the ‘O Salutaris’. Tenor Archie Inns sung the ‘Domine Deus’ with heroic tone, while the young baritone Lucas Maunder had the power to sustain the extended ‘Quoniam’. All four soloists worked well as a team in the various ensembles. Any pianist needs to give a marathon performance in this work, and Thomas Hawkes took it in his stride, delighting the audience.

Julian Elloway