Gioachino Rossini’s “Petite messe solennelle” will have its absolute premiere at the National Theatre of Opera, Ballet and Folk Ensemble (TKOBAP).

Rossini composed the work in 1863 as sacred music. After the success of “William Tell,” he stopped writing operas and focused on chamber and church music. Alongside “Stabat Mater,” this piece stands as one of the great masterpieces of 19th-century music. Rossini himself called it “the last sin of my old age.”

The spiritual masterpiece will be performed in the last week of January. The cast includes soprano Svetlana Aksenova, mezzo-soprano Enkeleida Shkoza, tenor Klodjan Kaçani, and bass Rubén Amoretti.

The performance brings a special collaboration. The Kosovo Philharmonic Choir joins the TKOBAP Choir. Choir conductors Hajrullah Syla and Dritan Lumshi lead the choirs. Maestro Facundo Agudin conducts the TKOBAP Symphony Orchestra.

Rossini wrote the work in French while living in France. He composed it for a private mass at the request of a countess. He called it both “small” and “solemn” because of the reduced ensemble. The work uses soloists, choir, harmonium, and piano. It also carries Rossini’s strong operatic spirit, shaped by his roots in opera buffa.

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