Cantates et musique sacrée

Description

An icon of French romanticism thanks to the uninterrupted success of Faust and Roméo et Juliette, Charles Gounod entered the Prix de Rome competition three times between 1837 and 1839. In this context, he wrote cantatas for soloists and orchestra that remained unpublished, including Marie Stuart and Rizzio and La Vendetta, which the composer never had the chance to hear. Revealed for the first time, these pages with their breathless romanticism testify to the exceptional talent of their young author for lyrical music. Having become a resident at the prestigious Villa Medici in 1840 after winning the First Prize with Fernand, Gounod then composed several pieces of sacred music there, which also remained unknown. The splendid Messe vocale, written in a neo-Palestrina style for a cappella choir, deserves to be included in the repertoire of all choirs.