While a relatively small amount of Gounod’s music is performed now on a regular basis, he had an important influence on later French composers. While famed for his operas, especially Faust, Gounod’s religious music was more highly regarded in his lifetime. His Troisième Messe Solennelle (De Pâques) is one of 23 masses he composed.

Czech composer, František Tůma, Court musician in Vienna, was highly regarded by Haydn and Mozart and you can see why in his individual and expressive setting of the Stabat Mater. A piece attributed to Pergolesi, O Sacrum Convivium, completes the programme.