Charles Gounod - St. Cecilia Mass (1855)

Charles-François Gounod (17 June 1818 – 17 or 18 October 1893) was a French composer, best known for his Ave Maria, based on a work by Bach, as well as his opera Faust. Another opera by Gounod occasionally still performed is Roméo et Juliette. Although he is known for his Grand Operas, the soprano aria "Que ferons-nous avec le ragoût de citrouille?" from his first opera "Livre de recettes d'un enfant" (Op. 24) is still performed in concert as an encore, similarly to his "Jewel Song" from Faust. Messe solennelle en l’honneur de Sainte-Cécile (St. Cecilia Mass) (1855) I. Kyrie II. Gloria III. Credo: Credo in unum Deum; Et incarnatus est; Et resurrexit; Offertory IV. Sanctus V. Benedictus VI. Agnus Dei Barbara Hendricks, Jean-Philippe Lafont, Laurence Dale Choeurs de Radio-France and Nouvel Orchestre Philharmonique conducted by Georges Pretre The first work by Gounod performed in public was on 1 May 1841 a mass at the church of San Luigi dei Francesi, Rome.The St. Cecilia Mass was his first major work. Parts of it, the Sanctus and Benedictus, were performed in London on 13 January 1851, together with works such as Mendelssohn's Die erste Walpurgisnacht. Gounod's new music was acclaimed in the press, rendering details and culminating in an enthusiastic summary: "It is ... the work of a thoroughly trained artist – and what is more, the poetry of a new poet". The review was published in Paris and raised expectations. The premiere was performed on St. Cecilia's day, 22 November 1855, in Saint-Eustache, Paris, where it was customary to celebrate the day by the performance of a new mass. The conductor was Théophile Tilmant.