“Have I just written sacred music, or rather, sacrilegious music?”
This is not usually what a composer thinks when they’ve just written a Latin mass. But Rossini is no ordinary composer and his Petite Messe Solennelle is no ordinary piece of music.
Hot on the heels of a special performance of Briar Prastiti's Te Matapiʻi and a whirlwind collaboration with Oregon Chorale in August, Supertonic choir of Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington is thrilled to present this masterwork of choral music on Saturday 10 October alongside soloists Nicola Holt, Maaike Christie-Beekman, Bayley Goldstone and Simon Christie, as well as instrumentalists Nicola Sutherland, Matthew Oliver and Rachel Malcolm-Swindells.
Rossini had hung up his opera pen some 30 years earlier when he wrote what he called “the last of my péchés de vieillesse (sins of old age)”. ‘Petite’ only in the number of musicians it originally called for, this mass is a dramatic, wildly ambitious work bursting with rich and unexpected harmonies. It careens between reverent and comic, drenched in emotion one moment and gleefully superficial the next. The dichotomy has entertained and enchanted audiences since it was written over 150 years ago, and Supertonic is excited to bring it roaring to the stage.
Led by Musical Director Isaac Stone (who describes it as his “favourite piece ever”), Supertonic wants to spark curiosity about musical traditions, and how and why Rossini contravened them. To set the scene and help the audience dig into the brilliance and contradiction of the piece, Isaac will deliver an introductory talk before the choir takes the stage. It's a night built to grab both die-hard classical devotees and anyone just discovering choral music for the first time.
Sacred or sacrilegious? Wellington audiences can decide for themselves on 10 October.
This is not usually what a composer thinks when they’ve just written a Latin mass. But Rossini is no ordinary composer and his Petite Messe Solennelle is no ordinary piece of music.
Hot on the heels of a special performance of Briar Prastiti's Te Matapiʻi and a whirlwind collaboration with Oregon Chorale in August, Supertonic choir of Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington is thrilled to present this masterwork of choral music on Saturday 10 October alongside soloists Nicola Holt, Maaike Christie-Beekman, Bayley Goldstone and Simon Christie, as well as instrumentalists Nicola Sutherland, Matthew Oliver and Rachel Malcolm-Swindells.
Rossini had hung up his opera pen some 30 years earlier when he wrote what he called “the last of my péchés de vieillesse (sins of old age)”. ‘Petite’ only in the number of musicians it originally called for, this mass is a dramatic, wildly ambitious work bursting with rich and unexpected harmonies. It careens between reverent and comic, drenched in emotion one moment and gleefully superficial the next. The dichotomy has entertained and enchanted audiences since it was written over 150 years ago, and Supertonic is excited to bring it roaring to the stage.
Led by Musical Director Isaac Stone (who describes it as his “favourite piece ever”), Supertonic wants to spark curiosity about musical traditions, and how and why Rossini contravened them. To set the scene and help the audience dig into the brilliance and contradiction of the piece, Isaac will deliver an introductory talk before the choir takes the stage. It's a night built to grab both die-hard classical devotees and anyone just discovering choral music for the first time.
Sacred or sacrilegious? Wellington audiences can decide for themselves on 10 October.
Our musical co-directors
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Virginie Pacheco:
Virginie began her musical training in France, where she graduated with Honors from the University of Nancy with a Bachelor in Musicology. After completing diplomas in Recorder and music theory, Virginie settled in Montreal to pursue her Masters in Conducting at the Université de Sherbrooke. She quickly became an acclaimed emerging conductor, winning the Iwan Edwards award in 2015. She has participated in masterclasses throughout the world, and in 2017 spent a summer residency with the Ontario Youth Choir. Isaac Stone:
Isaac is a music teacher at Tawa College in Wellington, where he does a mix of classroom teaching, singing teaching and choir directing. He has a BMus in Classical Singing from the New Zealand School of Music. He has directed Wellington Youth Choir, the Tawa College Blue Notes as well as Supertonic. In addition to this, he has been a member of the New Zealand Secondary Students' Choir, the New Zealand Youth Choir, Inspirare and is now a member of Voices New Zealand. |
The Choir
Supertonic is a Wellington-based choir that strives to push the boundaries of what choral music can be.
The choir was formed in 2014 and since then has performed concerts that cover the entire musical spectrum, from Vaughan Williams' Mass in G Minor, Vivaldi's Gloria and Faure's Requiem to pop and rock spectaculars celebrating Fleetwood Mac, David Bowie, Elton John and Queen.
The choir has performed alongside Bret McKenzie and The Muppets in the Jim Henson Retrospectacle, joined and Mama Kin Spender at the local Coastella music festival, performed in national Anzac and Armistice day broadcasts, and in 2023 flew to the Armageddon Expo in Auckland to perform High Score: Legendary soundtracks in concert.
Supertonic's co-musical director Isaac Stone has led the choir since its inception. A teacher of classroom music and leader of the choral programme at Tawa College in Wellington, he places a premium on making choral music that is enjoyable and accessible to singers and audiences alike.
The choir was formed in 2014 and since then has performed concerts that cover the entire musical spectrum, from Vaughan Williams' Mass in G Minor, Vivaldi's Gloria and Faure's Requiem to pop and rock spectaculars celebrating Fleetwood Mac, David Bowie, Elton John and Queen.
The choir has performed alongside Bret McKenzie and The Muppets in the Jim Henson Retrospectacle, joined and Mama Kin Spender at the local Coastella music festival, performed in national Anzac and Armistice day broadcasts, and in 2023 flew to the Armageddon Expo in Auckland to perform High Score: Legendary soundtracks in concert.
Supertonic's co-musical director Isaac Stone has led the choir since its inception. A teacher of classroom music and leader of the choral programme at Tawa College in Wellington, he places a premium on making choral music that is enjoyable and accessible to singers and audiences alike.
