St Michael’s Church, Flower Lane, London NW7 2JA 7.30 pm see map
| Puccini | Messa di Gloria |
| Verdi | Stabat Mater |
| Verdi | Pater Noster |
| Rossini | Ave Maria |
| Puccini | Requiem |
| Verdi | Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves |
| Samuel Jenkins | Tenor |
| Jamie Wollard | Bass |
| Phoebe Tak Man Chow | Organ |
| Tom Winpenny | Conductor |
Puccini started his career as a church musician but it was a performance of Verdi’s Aida that inspired him to turn instead to composing opera. The Messa di Gloria was his graduation composition, which was well received but not published at the time, perhaps because he wanted to be recognised for his operatic music. The mass is composed of a variety of styles, with simple, melodic, dance-like and dramatic sections for soloists and choir.
Verdi’s Stabat Mater is a dramatic setting of the poem, describing the Virgin Mary standing by the cross. Among the shorter works to be performed is the Requiem, commissioned from Puccini for the fourth anniversary of Verdi’s death as well as Verdi’s setting of the Lord’s Prayer and a setting of the Ave Maria by Rossini. Loved by many people is the Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves from Verdi’s Nabucco – actually opera in this case.
