SAVERIO MERCADANTE (1795-1870): Messa Solenne for Soloists, Male Chorus and Orchestra.

Description: In the last decade, research in the Genoa archives has revealed a series of important manuscripts, one of which is this magnificent score requiring four vocal soloists, a male choir – women were then forbidden to sing in church – and a large orchestra with extensive concertante roles for cor anglais and violin. It was premiered in January 1868, two years before Mercadante’s death, and shows the composer’s artistic maturity at its peak: opulent orchestration, extensive counterpoint, intricate instrumental textures, rich lyricism and fugal mastery. Vocal soloists, Orchestra and Chorus of the Carlo Felice Opera, Genoa; Fabrizio Callai.