July was another very busy, yet exciting, month for the Gaulitanus Choir. Right after a concert tour in Rome, Italy, in June – where the choir presented a concert as part of the Festival Euro Mediterraneo, animated masses in St Peter’s Basilica and the Archbasilica of St John Lateran, as well as partially participated in the ‘IV International Meeting of Choirs in the Vatican’ –, very intense preparations immediately got underway in view of the Gaulitanus’s participation in Puccini’s opera ‘Manon Lescaut’, at the Teatro Antico, Taormina, on July 30th.
The eye-catching production in the splendid open-air Sicilian stage was envisaged by Enrico Castiglione, and enfolded with the Etna spectacularly fuming very gently in the background. It featured world-renowned soprano Martina Serafin in the title role flanked by top tenor Kristian Benedikt as her lover, De Grieux, with the Taormina Festival Orchestra directed by Dejan Savic accompanying. The production was also filmed for RAI 5.
Coincidentally, ‘Manon Lescaut’ had been brought back to the Maltese stage in 2019 after a very long absence as part of the choir-organised Gaulitana: A Festival of Music – indeed, the festival’s last live operatic production before the pandemic. On the other hand, the opera was being presented at Taormina for the first time.
This foreign foray, the choir’s 24th abroad, was another in a string of commitments abroad ensuing from Gaulitana: A Festival of Music’s international collaborations, and followed an invitation from the ‘Fondazione Festival Belliniano’ and its artistic director, Enrico Castiglione, who for several years has been responsible for the production, scenery and costumes for the Gaulitana’s annual operatic production.
Led by its founder and musical director as well as Gaulitana: A Festival of Music Artistic Director, Colin Attard, this was the Gaulitanus Choir’s second appearance at Taormina, after its highly successful participation in ‘La Boheme’ in 2017 – when it made history by becoming the first Malta-based choir to participate in an operatic production abroad.
Notwithstanding the taxing rehearsal schedule and the prevailing intense heat, the choir managed to visit several places in the eastern part of Sicily, namely Catania, Noto, Siracusa, Ortigia, Giardini Naxos, the Alcantara Gorges, Isola Bella and Taormina itself. Naturally all the choir members also made the very best of the mouth-watering Sicilian gastronomic delights!
Surely, participation in ‘Manon Lescaut’ was another very memorable and enjoyable occasion on foreign soil for the Gaulitanus Choir.
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