Giuseppe Verdi et al.: Mass for Rossini

A bird’s-eye view of the Witten/Herdecke University choir and orchestra ensemble in the university hall. In the foreground, a top-down view of the choir with their music open. In the middle section, the orchestra, and in the final third of the photo, part of the audience (Photo: UW/H)

A unique musical legacy returns: the ‘Messa per Rossini’ was composed in 1869 as a collective requiem by thirteen eminent Italian composers in honour of Gioachino Rossini. Out of reverence for the great master, they created a work of monumental scale, which also bears witness to a turbulent era in Italian history. After a long period of obscurity, this extraordinary collaborative work offers a fascinating insight into the diversity of Italian Romanticism – full of sorrow, hope and artistic inspiration.

Alongside the large ensembles from Witten/Herdecke University, a quintet of prominent soloists will perform: Elena So (soprano), Bettina Ranch (mezzo-soprano), Max An (tenor), Giorgos Kanaris (baritone) and Almas Svilpa (bass-baritone). The overall direction is in the hands of the University’s Music Director, Ingo Ernst Reihl.

The performance lasts 2.5 hours, including the interval.

Tickets cost 15 €. Admission is free for high school students, college students, and refugees.