Puccini: Messa Di Gloria

Milton Keynes Chorale

An evening of operatic music to sweep you along!

Puccini is justly celebrated as one of the greatest opera composers, renowned particularly for La Boheme, Tosca and Madama Butterfly. His Messa di Gloria was intended as a tribute to the tradition of his family who, for four generations, had specialised in church music. When, at 18, he wrote it as his graduation thesis he had already decided that he wished to pursue a career in the theatre rather than in liturgical music, so the piece was only performed once in 1880 and then filed away. It was, however, the great creative force from which his best-loved and well known melodies came.

We accompany the Mass with other operatic favourites - Nessun Dorma, Verdi's Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves, and Bizet's wonderful duet from the Pearl Fishers. And the lesser-known but beautiful Pater Noster by Verdi.

Soloists are Daniel Joy (tenor) and Stephen Kennedy (bass) and we welcome the Chameleon Arts Orchestra to provide our accompaniment.
Conducted by Victoria Ely.