For the second consecutive year the Gaulitanus Choir came up with a concert associated with Valentine’s Day. Supported by the Ministry for Gozo’s Cultural Heritage Directorate and part of the latter’s “Inhobbok” programme of events this was held at the Kempinski Hotel San Lawrenz on Thursday 10th February.
The Gaulitanus String Orchestra (leader: Reggie Clews) and the Gaulitanus Choir’s soprano soloists, Anna Bonello and Patricia Buttigieg conducted by the choir’s musical director Colin Attard were in attendance. (Unfortunately soprano Stephanie Portelli was indisposed.) They presented a varied programme of classical and semi-classical instrumental and vocal love-themed works, with a few serenades for strings actually also being premiered in Malta.
The full details of the programme are included in Albert G Storace’s review, which reads:
It is always a pleasure, whenever possible, to cross over to Gozo to follow some of the many worthy cultural events there. Music in Gozo thrives well and Gaulitanus’s latest offering two days ago was another clear example. The choice was fitting for the theme and its romantic association with St. Valentine’s Day. Let’s say it was a preview offering, four days before the event.
Colin Attard introduced the various works in pairs. At a certain point he thanked his violinist son Pierre-Louis, member of the 13-strong string orchestra, for having worked so hard finding most of the music for this concert. A good number of it had never been performed before. If any were heard before, they were presented this evening in different arrangements.
The opening work was by a Japanese composer Yokoyama Shin-Itchuro (b.1956), who lives in France. His Petite Serenade (2007) proved to be a most delightful, brief and compact work. There is no doubting the infectious sense of fun in the work by Erik Meyer-Helmund (1861-1932), namely the Serenade – Roccoco pizzicato. Colin Attard said the piece is believed to have been composed somewhat between 1893 and 1914. The rococo flavour guaranteed its lightness and aura of mischief accentuated by its almost endless pizzicato. This was punctuated by a few warm bars by a solo cello as well as some violin solo work; only towards the end were there some tutti passages.
The warmth and melodic flow of Elgar’s Salut d’amour (1888), originally for piano and violin, keeps reminding one that this is one of the most beautiful pieces by Elgar (1857-1834). Thus performance was arranged by Roman Sokruta. An equally lovely piece was Liebestraum or Love Dream, by Max Reger (1873-1916). This intermezzo evokes the dreams and hopes of those in love, whatever their age. It concluded the first section of this concert.
When he is not composing, studying, playing the piano or directing choirs and orchestras Colin Attard finds time to make arrangements of various works. Soprano Anna Bonello sang with conviction two numbers worked out for soprano and string orchestra by him. These were One hand, one heart and Somewhere, from the musical West Side Story (1957): words by Steve Sondheim (1930-2021) set to music by Leonard Bernstein (1918-90). A great classic if ever there was one and its songs touch the heart and make one root for the doomed, star-crossed lovers of this latter- day, tragic Romeo and Juliet story.
The mood changed with two pieces by Astor Piazzolla (1921-92). Both works were in the updated tango style of Piazzolla, with all the sultriness intact in Oblivión highlighted by the sinuous solo violin (of Reggie Clews) and the measured passion of Líbertango. The arrangements were by Robert Longfield and Roman Sokruta respectively.
The other singer taking part in this concert was Patricia Buttigieg. Her darker soprano lent a sensitive sense of pathos to A Time for Us the main (love) theme from the music to Zeffirelli’s film Romeo and Juliet, composed by Nino Rota (1911-79). This little corner of Italian film music continued with a lovely rendering of the main theme from Cinema Paradiso, composed by Andrea Morricone (b. 1964).
The last orchestral work was a 4-movement Serenade for strings by Norman Leyden (1917-2014). It also partly hearkens back to older times with its well-contrasted Prelude, Fugue, a beautiful serene Nocturne and concluding with amusingly jerky cake-walk.
This finale was very warmly received. Mro. Attard, the orchestra and two sopranos obliged by performing the haunting Deborah’s theme E Più ti Penso, composed for the film Once upon a Time in America by Ennio Morricone (1928-2020).
Happy Valentine’s Day to everybody.
(Photo credits: Lorne Cremona)
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