The musician conducts the National Radio Orchestra concert, Friday, November 22nd, 2024.

Mr. David Crescenzi, how are the rehearsals with the Radio ensembles for Friday's concert going?

The rehearsal is going well. Things are going well, as always when I work with the Radio Orchestra.

Given that 'Petit messesolennelle' was composed 30 years after he finished his last opera. How would you describe the musical writing?

This is Rossini's spiritual testament, which he wrote almost 34-35 years after his last opera, Guillaume Tell. After that he had a nervous breakdown and started writing a lot of church music. The most important are Stabat mater, La petite messesolenelle, Tantum ergo, Messa di Gloria. The last of these was La petite messe, which he composed five years before his death. He originally wrote a chamber opera for two harmonies, piano, a choir of 12. Why 12? Because there were 12 apostles. He also orchestrated this work, but he wrote in his will that he did not want this mass to be performed with orchestra until his death. That's also the reason why I decided not to do this work with a larger orchestra - we see it on the internet performed by orchestras with hundreds of people and choristers - but this score was intended for a chamber orchestra, because it has a more intimate atmosphere.

What is the importance of this work in the vocal-symphonic repertoire?

It remains an operettic writing, just like Verdi's Requiem. When you listen to La petite messesolenelle, you can see the influence of the opera school. The importance of this work lies in this very fact, which remains a milestone in Rossini's creation, and the role of the soloists is essential. Also the finale - the chorus with the mezzo-soprano - is another important moment with an operatic influence.