Chœur du Festival

La Petite Messe Solennelle de Rossini, Michael Bawtree


La Petite Messe Solennelle de Rossini : Kyrie extract

It was at Richard Cowan's request that the 2 main choruses of Belle-Ile were invited to take part in the Festival in 1999, on the occasion of an evening performance dedicated to extracts from Carmen, in the Citadelle.
Rehearsals started in July, conducted by Gilles André from the Paris Opera chorus and within 3 weeks, the chorus, as well as secondary residents and vacationers, included about 25 people. The group also prepared Mozart's Laudate Dominum for an evening concert, thus performing its first work of sacred music.
In 2000, they performed one of Gounod's Motets, an extract of Berlioz's The Christ's Childhood and of the chorus of Verdi's Traviata, prepared by Christine Greneau.
In 2001, the chorus comprised about 35 chorus singers. This time, it prepared a sacred work, complete and more obscure: Saint Saëns's Requiem, rehearsed by Christine Greneau and directed by Gilles André for two concerts in Locmaria.
In 2002, 45 people, including 25 from Belle-Ile who sing Mozart's Requiem, performed 4 times in the island's churches.
In 2003, the chorus singers sang Gounod's Saint Cecilia's Mass and some of them go back on the stage to reinforce the small chorus of Puccini's "La Bohème", in 2004 they performed Handel's The Messiah and a few sang in the choruses of Bizet's Carmen, in 2005 Vivaldi's Gloria and Carmina Burana, in 2006 Haydn 's Nelson Mass, The Brahms'German Requiem in 2008, the Rossini's Petite Messe Solennelle in 2009, Fauré's Requiem in 2010, Mozart's requiem and Schubert's Mass in G major in 2011.
2012 season will present Puccini's Messa di Gloria...


the Chorus : 2011 Singers



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