After completing William Tell, Rossini went into musical silence for 39 years, broken only – apart from some trite jottings – by his Stabat Mater and the Petit Messe Solenelle.
The St. John’s Singers, under John Badminton, performed the Stabat Mater at last night’s service and they will repeat it on Tuesday evening.
It is an interesting curiosity, melodically felicitious but inescapably a child of the opera house, not the church.
The performace is very creditable. The chorus is well-balanced and nicely sized in the cathedral. By Tuesday evening I am sure that some untidy entries will be corrected, although discipline last night was otherwise excellent.
Well Sung
Soprano Diana Cowan sang with conviction and finesse, and Daphne Forrest (mezzo-soprano) settled down well after some unsteadiness. Their duet, Quis est homo, was especially well sung.
Tenor Edouard Rademeyer has a smooth voice, but did not sound at ease with his almost skittish music. Some of the runs and ornaments in Culus animan were slightly clumsily sung.
Clifford Phillips (bass) was musical and effective, even if one would occasionally have liked more volume from him. The organist, Leslie Owen, made as much sense as is possible of the orchestral reduction