2025 marks the 35th anniversary of the foundation of Gozo’s Gaulitanus Choir. Founded in 1990, back then as the island’s only choir not affiliated to a parish or theatre, the choir has come a long way and today it is one of the principal contributors to the national cultural ecology. Its various events throughout the year, whether Gaulitana: A Festival of Music – now approaching its 18th edition –, or its regular concert touring abroad – with the recent one in Portugal being its 25th foray abroad –, are quite renowned. But so are their regular Yuletide events. This was also the case with the 13th edition of ‘A New Year’s Toast’, with which the choir kicked off its anniversary celebrations on January 1st.
Held at the Kempinski San Lawrenz, and supported by the Cultural Heritage Directorate (Ministry for Gozo and Planning) and Playpen, this concert also celebrated the legacy of the choir’s resident pianist, Stephen Attard, a much-loved musical personality who left an indelible mark on the development of the Gaulitanus Choir as well as of Gozo’s culture – this being the first choir-organised event since his sad demise.
Very typical of the Gaulitanus under the musical and artistic direction of the choir’s founder-director Colin Attard, the concert presented a vivacious, wide and varied repertoire, indeed a musical bonanza of vocal and instrumental numbers for everyone’s tastes which surely ensured a most positive start to the new year.
The choir and its guest instrumental ensemble opened the evening in style with Leroy Anderson’s rousing “A Christmas Festival’, a very interesting treatment of various Christmas songs as adapted for choir and ensemble by Colin Attard.
Instrumental interludes were also on the programme. The first featured a trio of 2 trumpets, Jason Camilleri and David Portelli, and piano, Milica Lawrence, in arrangements by Gordon Schuster of 2 American hymns by Robert Lowry and Russel Kelso Carter. A second and completely contrasting interlude featured a quartet of 2 violins, Pierre Louis Attard and Matteo Colombo, percussion, Ino Mario Busuttil, and piano, Colin Attard, performing – for the first time in this formation – 2 adaptations of seasonal excerpts by the latter. The first was Joseph Vella’s jazzy ‘It’s Christmas Time’, which Vella had originally arranged for a TV show featuring the Oscar Lucas Band in the late 60’s or early 70’s. The second was a tribute to Stephen Attard, his very particular and genial “Ninni … buzz”, a rhapsody on the popular Maltese Christmas tune, originally composed for band, which fully betrays Attard’s very personal harmonic and rhythmic traits.
A vocal soloistic interlude then featured 3 choir sopranos, Annabelle Zammit, Antonella Portelli and Anna Bonello, in 3 short salon songs by Giacomo Puccini. The 3 sopranos also shared some other soloistic lines with 4 other choristers – Mary Grace Portelli, Joseph Calleja, Paul Scicluna and Matthew Berry – in the other numbers performed by the choir.
As customary, the programme made sure to have a retrospective as well as prospective look. Reminiscing the Gaulitanus Choir’s 3 forays abroad in 2024, the choir started by interpreting an ‘a cappella’ adaptation of the Portuguese traditional song ‘Alecrim dourado’ which the choir performed in its recent concert tour in Portugal. ‘Festeggiam la serata’ from Puccini’s ‘Manon Lescaut’ recalled the choir’s prestigious participation in the operatic performance at Taormina’s Teatro Antico in July. The choir then relived its concert tour in Rome, Italy, in June by interpreting another Puccini excerpt, the pompous ‘Inno a Roma’ with its triumphant fanfares, in which the choir was joined by the instrumental ensembles.
Looking ahead towards the upcoming edition of ‘Gaulitana: A Festival of Music’ being held in April and May, the choir also gave a foretaste of the festival’s highlight event, Verdi’s opera ‘Nabucco’ – which is being produced on May 3rd – by interpreting very warmly the opera’s most famous number, ‘Va pensiero sull’ali dorate’.
All participants then joined forces for a final slot, the medley ‘Auld Lang Syne’, This was originally arranged by Stephen and Colin Attard in 1989 for the inauguration of the Victoria Scouts new headquarters, featuring several tunes which very popular with the scout movement. (Mro Colin Attard pertinently remarked that 4 performers who had premiered the medley 36 years ago – choristers Marvic Bajada and Marie Louise Attard, trumpeter David Portelli and percussionist Ino Mario Busuttil – were once more part of the line-up – no mean feat! –, as well as acknowledged the presence of former Victoria Scouts Group leader, Lorrie Saliba.) Including several numbers with the participation of the audience, this boisterous and energetic medley brought to a climactic end this edition of ‘A New Year’s Toast’ following which the very attentive audience which packed the Kempinski Hall to capacity spontaneously rose up in unison to give the performers a standing ovation! Of course, the participants reciprocated by repeating the electrifying final part of the medley.
No doubt, and very appropriately, the Gaulitanus Choir’s 35th anniversary opened with a bang!
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