The Xewkija Rotunda, courtesy of Archpriest Fr Daniel Xerri, hosted the festival’s second Lent-related event on Thursday 24th March. Its grandeur and its wonderful majestic organ provided a most fitting ambience to a epic of a work: Marcel Dupré’s “Le Chemin de la Croix”.
The very long and enormously taxing organ work was interpreted by the festival’s Artist-in-Residence, US artist Alexander Frey, with each of the 14 musical commentaries alternating with 14 poetic meditations by Paul Claudel (as translated into English by Carol Symes). The latter were recited Marion Sayers, Antony Edridge, and Manuel Cauchi (who stepped in the last minute to replace an indisposed Sue Scantlebury).
This musico-spiritual experience was perfectly complimented by projections of Austin Camilleri’s “Via Crucis” (as photographed by Daniel Cilia). This is based at the Sanctuary of the Divine Mercy at San Pawl tat-Targa, Naxxar, and generously made available by Fr Michael Agius.
Photo Credits: Lorne Cremona
Meanwhile, Albert G Storace’s online review reads:
When stars collide – DUPRÉ’s LE CHEMIN DE LA CROIX and AUSTIN CAMILLERI’S VISUALS
XVth GAULITANA FESTIVAL 2022
DUPRÉ’s LE CHEMIN DE LA CROIX, Op. 29
ALEXANDER FREY at the organ.
MARION SAYERS, ANTONY EDRIDGE, MANWEL C AUCHI, narrators.
St. JOHN BAPTIST ROTUNDA, ix-XEWKIJA, GOZO.
This was this Festival edition’s second event with a sacred/religious theme. It was held within the vast space of Gozo’s biggest church, that of St. John the Baptist, ix-Xewkija. Whenever I go there I never cease to marvel not so much at its great dimensions but at the very beauty of the exquisite local stone. Behind this Rotunda, there is a long story of sacrifice, hard work and determination to complete this most ambitious project.
Marcel Dupré (1886-1971) composed his Le Chemin de la Croix in 1931. This Via Crucis or Way of the Cross (Vija Sagra to us) was appropriately performed during Lent, just 22 days before Good Friday. The atmosphere in our churches is steadily gearing for Holy Week and Dupré’s great work was a most fitting one to follow. The work calls for a narrator or narrators, in this case, shared by three readers. The original text by poet Paul Claudel (1868-1955) was narrated in an English translation by Carol Symes. While during the course of the performance the superb organ never failed to sound ever so splendidly no matter the mood or volume, when it came to the narration the echoing vastness of the church rendered it difficult to clearly listen to every single word. The most successfully projected voice was Manwel Cauchi’s. I have no doubt that the other narrators read very well too as I could gather from brief snippets here and there.
This led me to a state of determined concentration on the beautiful images, which were projected on the screen provided for the purpose. The narrators read their text between projections with the images remaining in view during the organ’s performance of the relative episode. Although this may sound too episodic and disjointed, this was never the case. The work retained a sense of continuity, of wholeness perhaps suggested by familiarity with all events marked by the stations. It was indeed a seamless work, with music that is very evocative. The story is one of sorrow, pain and suffering, of ingratitude and mockery, of a mother’s love for her condemned Son, of solace and comforting. There were moments well-reflected in the music which projected anguish such as the three times Jesus fell with that sense of helplessness some of those present must have had. The cynical dragooning of Simon of Cyrene in Station Five was no act of kindness but fear lest the condemned were to die before being nailed to the cross. Upon reflection, the sheer injustice of the greatest judicial murder in history is hammered home. Poignant, tender and dramatic the story unfolded. A thread of unifying continuity was the very long soft note with which each episode came to an end. The greatest contrasts were the most striking in Station 12 when Jesus dies. The music is dirge-like as He utters his last of the Seven Words. Upon expiring the organ came on full blast in a frightening fortissimo when as the Gospel says, a strong tremor shook the land shocked those present. The music was to fade delicately into nothingness as it did at the end of each station. Dupré was a great organ virtuoso and the expected virtuosity was certainly there in this work. However, it was very ably handled in line with the composer’s known aim not to stifle the message with the over-abundant show thus maintaining the innate integrity of the music.
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