Rossini's Petite Messe Solenelle was an unusual choice for Riccardo Chailly and the Leipzig Gewandhaus to begin their residency at the Barbican. In its intimacy and mildly comic sensibility, this is not the most obvious showpiece for one of Europe's finest orchestras and choirs.
Nonetheless, Chailly's jaunty yet highly charged reading was fluent and convincing, and the choir (or rather two choirs - the Gewandhaus were joined by the Leipzig opera chorus) and orchestra's total commitment to the work was astonishing.
Attending to one another with quartet-like intensity, the orchestra displayed a breathtaking unity, effortlessly modulating their tone and texture, and showing how minutely sensitive was Rossini's musical imagination. The choir, swelling magnificently above the trombone crescendo toward the end of the Gloria, or suspended with gentle but commanding poise over the limpid textures of the Agnus Dei, gave us a de facto masterclass from the world's oldest civic choir and orchestra.
However, Bulgarian soprano Alexandrina Pendatchanska gave an overly mannered and often awkward performance. O Salutis Hostia was disappointing; in terms both of intensity and coherence, it was blown away by mezzo Manuela Custer's moving performance in the Agnus Dei. Mirco Palazzi's bass was stirring when it warmed up, and tenor Stefano Secco - who could pass for a young, moustachioed Rossini - was on blistering form, though apparently less happy to blend in for the many ensemble passages. That aside, triumph was in the air, and the Leipzig visitors were thanked and welcomed in a manner that did both them and their audience proud.
