GAULITANA: A Festival of Music: The Gaulitanus Choir Soloists

The Gaulitana: A Festival of Music passed into its fifth representation this evening with the concert of the Gaulitanus Soloists held at the Exhibition Hall, St. Francis Square, Victoria at 8.00 p.m.

Terry Shaw at the concert at the Exhibition Hall, Victoria on the 6th April 2008

Tenor Terry Shaw, who accompanied himself on the piano, started off this memorable concert with three songs, the text of which was taken from three different Shakespearean plays:

i) Who is Silvia? from "The Two Gentlemen Of Verona";
ii) Sigh no more ladies from "Much Ado About Nothing";
iii) Blow, blow thou winter wind from "As You Like It"

The music for all these three songs are Terry’s own composition.

Joseph Buttigieg at the concert at the Exhibition Hall, Victoria on the 6th April 2008

The evening continued with baritone

Joseph Buttigieg who sang two saloon arias by Francesco P. Tosti.

1. i) Ideale; and
2. ii) L’ultima canzona.

The evening continued and now it was Soprano Rita Dimech’s turn who regaled the attentive audience three preghiere

i) Oh dischiuso è il firmamento! from Giuseppe Verdi’s ’Nabucco’;

Rita Dimech at the concert at the Exhibition Hall, Victoria on the 6th April 2008

ii) Dio di giustizia from Umberto Giordano’s ’Fedora’; and
iii) Vissi d’arte, vissi d’amore from Giacomo Puccini’s ’Tosca’.

The evening proceeded with another intervention by Terry Shaw who, this time round, presented three more songs of his own composition, with the text again taken from three Shakespearean plays. Terry sang:

i.) It was a lover and his lass from ’As You Like It’;
ii) Tell me where is fancy bred from ’The Merchant of Venice’; and
iii) When that I was a little tiny boy from ’The Tempest’.

Again after Terry it was Joseph Buttigieg’s turn and this time round Joseph sang:

i) O del mio dolce ardor from Christopher W Gluck’s ’Paride ed Elena’;
ii) Ombra mia fu from Georg F. Händel’s ’Serse’.

Rita Dimech made another appearance and this time round she sang:

i) Signore, ascolta from Giacomo Puccini’s ’Turandot’;
ii) Donde lieta from Giacomo Puccini’s ’La Boheme’; and
iii) Ebben ne andrò lontana from Alfredo Catalani’s ’La Wally’.

The Quartet at the concert at the Exhibition Hall, Victoria on the 6th April 2008

The last part of this concert were four excerpts from Johann Strauss, Jnr, The Gypsy Baron.

Soprano Margaret Plant, Alto Stephanie Buttigieg, Tenor Terry Shaw and Bass Darren Vella joined in a quartet gave us the aria: Birds in their little nest agree.

After this quartet, Soprano Rita Dimech was joined by tenor Joseph Calleja and they

Rita Dimech and Joseph Calleja at the concert at the Exhibition Hall, Victoria on the 6th April 2008

gave us two arias – again from Johan Strauss, Jnr: The Gypsy Baron.

i) Dare I believe my heart
and
ii) These I have loved.

The finale was made up of a quintet. Soprano Margaret Plant, Alto Stephanie Buttigieg, Tenor Terry Shaw, Baritone Joseph Buttigieg and Bass Darren Vella

The Quintet at the concert at the Exhibition Hall, Victoria on the 6th April 2008

gave a good account of themselves in singing Money, money, money from The Gypsy Baron.

Except for when Terry Shaw sang his own compositions and accompanied himself on the piano, Mro. Colin Attard accompanied all the other singers.

The festival ccontinues next Wednesday, the 9th of April, with the venue being the Gozo Ministry’s Courtyard in St. Francis Square at 8.00 p.m., when the performers will be an Italian Percussion group: The Groove Ensemble.