First Performance of Petite messe solennelle

Date: March 14, 1864 • Location: Paris, France

The Petite messe solennelle by Gioachino Rossini was first performed in Paris, 34 years after his retirement as a composer.

Gioachino Rossini's Petite messe solennelle was written in 1863, possibly at the request of Count Alexis Pillet-Will for his wife Louise, to whom it is dedicated. The composer, who had retired from composing operas more than 30 years before, described it as "the last of my péchés de vieillesse".