Capping off his 25th year with the San Francisco City Chorus, Larry Marietta will conduct our Spring 2023 Concert featuring Rossini’s Stabat Mater.
The Chorus will also perform the a cappella motet O Salutaris Hostia and several secular choral pieces including I Gondolieri, a lively salute to gondoliers penned during his later Paris salon days, and "Preghiera," the finale from Mose in Egitto, a haunting and beautiful prayer which was sung at Rossini’s own funeral.
Along with Verdi and Puccini, among others, Giachino Rossini (1792-1868) was one of the great Italian composers of opera of the 19th century, with thirty-nine operas to his credit. He is justly celebrated for such opera buffa (comic operas) as The Barber of Seville, L’Italiana in Algeri, La Cenerentola, and dramatic opera seria like Semiramide and William Tell, all wildly popular during his lifetime.
He also wrote numerous vocal and choral works, and returned to his earliest genre, sacred works, with Stabat Mater (“Standing or Lamenting Mother”, 1831-1841). Ever the operatic maestro, Rossini managed to infuse this religious offering with soaring melodies and brilliant counterpoint, reflecting hope for the future more than lamentations of loss. Its final movement, Amen, gallops along with a breathtaking fugue that has few rivals in 19th century classical music.
We hope you will join us for this exciting concert event!
This event is ADA accessible. Doors open at 7 pm.
COVID Safety Protocols: Face masks worn properly are required at all times inside Calvary Presbyterian Church for this concert. Up-to-date COVID vaccination highly recommended for all guests 5 years of age and older.