Spring Choral Concert, featuring Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle, performed by San Diego Masterworks Chorale.

Rossini's Petite Messe Solennelle, a lesser-known mass setting written with an operatic flair, towards the end of his life, sparkles with drama and wit. When he had completed the manuscript he wrote the following note: "Dear Lord, here it is finished, this poor little mass. Have I just written sacred music, or rather, sacrilegious music? I was born for opera buffa, as you well know. Not much technique, a little bit of heart, that's all. Blessings to you and grant me Paradise."