A great musical start to 2023 with A New Year's Toast

The Gaulitanus Choir’s 11th edition of ‘ A New Year’s Toast’ proved to be another great musical start to the New Year. Held on January 1 at the Kempinski San Lawrenz, and supported by the MGOZ’s Cultural Heritage Directorate and Playpen, this most enjoyable evening was attended by a big audience which packed the hotel’s Il-Kappella, exceeding expectations to the point that extra seats had to be put on there and then.

The concert featured the Gaulitanus Choir itself and a good number of its soloists, as well as the Gaulitanus String Quartet – Pierre Louis Attard, (violin – leader), Eduardo Garcia Salas (violin), Ester Garcia Salas (viola) and Fiona Murphy (violoncello) – and Milica Lawrence on the piano.

The repertoire chosen by the musical and artistic director Colin Attard was a very varied one split up in 3 parts. The first, entitled Christmas: Near and Far, consisted of various choral numbers (mostly a cappella), and also included several excerpts which the choir performed in its December Vienna concert tour. The second part, while festive was not Christmas related. Indeed, the choir gave a foretaste of its upcoming production of ‘La Traviata’ (on April 29 as part of Gaulitana: A Festival of Music) with 2 bubbly choruses. Then the String Quartet and the pianist joined forces for 2 instrumental numbers. The last part of the concert was again Christmassy, with all performers giving 2 extended medleys – one prominently featuring the soloists and the other purely choral. The enthusiastic audience’s reactions were acknowledged with another short excerpt.

Meanwhile,  Albert G Storace’s online full review of the concert reads:

MUSICAL TOAST FOR NEW YEAR

This was a pleasant way to come to almost the end of the new year’s first day. This idea was shared by the many who turned up to an already full hall. Many more chairs had to be added and when all was said and done, when welcoming and thanking all present, the maestro said the delay was made up for by the positive presence of such a big audience.

There is no doubt that Gaulitanus is one of the best choral societies not only in Gozo but all over the Maltese Islands. Coming back from their very successful recent tour in Austria (which I sadly missed by a few days) it was not surprising at all that the choir sang two Teutonic works, both sung in crisp clear German. The first one was a traditional Austrian Carol Andachtsjodler. The second piece was a traditional German and rather more sober carol Maria Dutch ein Dornwald ging (arr. J. Pommer). Jesus Christ birth was a source of joy to His Mother but also of pain and sadness for she knew he would suffer a lot. The thorny thickets/wood in the title are anole portents. ln both these carols the attention to dynamics was superb, a balanced line-up of 13 female and 9 male singers ensured that. Control was maintained throughout with happy and relaxed projecting the joy of singing to the audience.

The concert had commenced with yet another arrangement of Ninni la Tibkix iźjed the much loved lullaby carol. This arrangement was by Colin Attard with some interesting twist to many of the series of Variations. He accompanied the choir in this work. It featured solo work by Anna Bonello, Annabelle Zammit, Joseph Calleja and Robert Xerri. In the following 15th century French carol Veni, veni Emmanuel (arr. Colin Attard) the soloist was Paul Scicluna.

A third carol from yet another country was traditional Spanish A la nanita nana, also a delightful lullaby clearly sung by the choir. There was also the lively, hardly ever performed traditional English carol Hey, ho, nobody home, with soloist Antonella Portelli. This cosmopolitan offering of carols ended with the popular Ukrainian Carol of the Bells (arr.P. Wilhousky) which had the choir imitating festive chiming and tolling of bells.

The second part of the concert consisted of two choruses from Verdi’s La Traviata. These served as a foretaste of the opera which Gaulitanus Choir will be concluding this year’s Gaulitana Festival on Saturday 29 April at Gozo’s Aurora Opera House. (Booking will soon open). The first chorus from La Traviata was the Chorus backing the Gypsy Dance in Act III. Soloist Joanna Pullicino made a very irate Flora Bervoix as she berates her lover for the infidelity revealed when the gypsies read his hand. The second was the very well-timed Baccanale which occurs at the beginning of Act IV. The rowdy revellers off-stage heighten the doomed, terminally ill Violetta’s predicament.

An instrumental toast followed with the piano quintet performing two arrangements by Colin Attard to Reginald King’s sedate A Prayer at Eventide followed by Monti’s famous Csárdás. The soloist here was the brilliant young violinist Pierre-Louis Attard with the very valid support of the other four musicians. The longish, lassù full of sinewy languor was followed by the fast-paced friss with all the resulting fiery and very articulate playing.

The conclusion in two parts had Colin’s hand in it. Does the man ever sleep??? His energy and drive are legendary and he arranged A Christmas Rhapsody with the basic thematic ingredients being from Yon’s Gesù Bambino, from Bethlehem City, another lullaby from Italy, Mille Cherubini, God Rest you Merry Gentlemen and Adolphe Adam’s Oh Holy Night. The soloists were Patricia Borg, Annabelle Zammit and Anna Bonello.

I was extremely touched to the core by Oh Holy Night as I was to be with Stille Nacht. When interpreted this way these two works have always carried me away. Stille Nacht featured in Joy to the World a medley composed and arranged by Colin Attard consisting of other themes from Joy to the World, Adeste Fideles, The Christmas Lullaby and Hark! The Herald Angel’s Sing.