{"id":9663,"date":"2013-05-26T07:07:21","date_gmt":"2013-05-26T12:07:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/?p=9663"},"modified":"2013-05-26T07:07:21","modified_gmt":"2013-05-26T12:07:21","slug":"there-is-a-lot-more-to-composer-charles-gounod-than-the-opera-faust","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2013\/05\/26\/there-is-a-lot-more-to-composer-charles-gounod-than-the-opera-faust\/","title":{"rendered":"There is a lot more to composer Charles Gounod than the opera Faust"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"gounod\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The Toronto Mendelssohn Choir has spent the first five months of 2013 singing religious music for concert settings: the Brahms German Requiem<\/em>, Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis<\/em> and Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle<\/em>. This made me wonder about grand Mass settings that do fit into churches. Pieces such as Charles Gounod’s Messe Solennelle en l’honneur de Sainte C\u00e9cile<\/em>, completed 8 years before Rossini’s.<\/p>\n

Born 195 years ago in June, Gounod is best remembered as the composer of the operas Faust<\/em> and Rom\u00e9o et Juliette<\/em>. This devout man also wrote a lot of sacred music, including several large settings of the Mass, cantatas, oratorios and, in the last year of his life in 1893, a Requiem<\/em>.<\/p>\n

He also wrote two symphonies in the mid-1850s and a small handful of gorgeous chamber pieces (some recorded by Toronto’s Ensemble Vivant<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Gounod was hugely popular and loved in this day. Camille Saint-Sa\u00ebns played the organ and Gabriel Faur\u00e9 conducted the choir at Gounod’s funeral, at the Madeleine in Paris.<\/p>\n

A sunny Sunday is a great excuse to be introduced to a bit of non-operatic Gounod — something like his St Cecilia Mass<\/em>, which dates from 1855, followed by a bit of chamber music.<\/p>\n

This is an excellent recording featuring soprano Barbara Hendricks, tenor Laurence Dale and baritone Jean-Philippe Lafont with the orchestra and choir of Radio France and organist Jean-Louis Gil. The conductor is Georges Pr\u00eatre:<\/p>\n