?In the last decade, research in the Genoa archives has revealed a series of important manuscripts, one of which is Saverio Mercadante's Messa solenne. This magnificent score requires four vocal soloists, a male choir - women were then forbidden to sing in church - and a large orchestra with extensive concertante roles for cor anglais and violin. It was premiered in January 1868, two years before Mercadante's death, and shows the composer's artistic maturity at it's peak: opulent orchestration, extensive counterpoint, intricate instrumental textures, rich lyricism and fugal mastery. This world première recording amplifies the significance of the Genoese musical tradition.