Jeths, Italy, Rossini and death

Italy and death. Willem Jeths unites both fascinations in his latest work Viaggio italiano, which the Groot Omroepkoor performs for the first time.

Jeths and Italian travel stories
Artistic director Kees Vlaardingerbroek, a connoisseur of Italian music, compiled a history of Italian travel descriptions and poetry through the ages. It became the basis for sensitive choral sounds by Willem Jeths and his commissioned Viaggio italiano (Italian Journey) written for the NTR ZaterdagMatinee. An Italian epitaph for an eighteenth-century Dutch traveler who hoped Italy would do his health good is heard in the central section. He died there, aged 24. Rossini's Petite messe solennelle sounds devoter than ever after this.

Rossini's little choral paradise
Thirty years after his last opera, Gioachino Rossini wrote his Petite messe solennelle. By his own admission, the wondrous work was the last of his Péchés de vieillesse, sins of old age. He apologized directly to Our Lord in the manuscript. 'I was born for the opera buffa. Not much technique, a little heart, that's all. Blessings to you, and grant me Paradise.' Meanwhile, for small choir, four soloists, two fortepianos and a harmonium, he did create a paradise on earth. A combination of opera and religion reduced to its essence.