Saturday 12th November was another red-letter day for the Gaulitanus Choir. The choir was a key element in the glorious revival of Joseph Vella’s and Oliver Friggieri’s cantata “Il-Belt Rebbieha”. The work was re-presented after 32 years at Birgu’s St Lawrence Collegiate Church – where it had received its premiere. The choir was joined by soprano Miriam Cauchi and tenor Brian Cefai and accompanied by the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra (leader: Marcelline Agius) under the direction of Colin Attard, the late composer’s nephew and Gaulitanus Choir founder-director.
The strong libretto and the highly lyrical and emotive music – which very vividly depict the tribulations, courage and ultimately the triumph of the Maltese who fought in the Great Siege of Malta in 1565 against the mighty Turkish power – were beautifully reflected in a performance which juxtaposed moments of soberness with joyful climaxes. A spontaneous standing ovation led to the encore of the finale – a choral hymn which develops from a simple ‘religioso’ melody to a most rousing conclusion.
The choir’s memorable performance of this very taxing choral score was justly outlined in Albert G Storace’s online review, namely: “The chorus [is] given a prominent role. …. Yes, Gaulitanus coached as usual by Colin Attard fared very, very well. The scoring for them was rather complex at times especially on the one of the repeats in the final chorale. Some very good work there.”
The performance, which saw the Gaulitanus Choir performing in Birgu and indeed in the Three Cities for the first time, was organised by Festivals Malta as the closing event for the 10th edition of the Three Palaces Festival.
Photo Credits: Matthew Mirabelli Photography
Email:
Phone:
