Friday, September 10, was an emotional day for Gaulitana: A Festival of Music. The festival’s first live event after more than two years was finally on! Indeed, ‘GauLive’, the series of live public events as part of the festival’s 14th edition kicked off with ‘Nostalġija: A Feast of Maltese Music’. This was held at the Ministry for Gozo’s Courtyard – a tried and tested venue which hosted a few other live events organised by the Gaulitanus Choir last year during the pandemic.
The programme chosen by the festival’s artistic director and the Gaulitanus Choir’s musical director, Colin Attard, was an ideal one for an open-air venue as well as a most fitting one for the resumption of live performing at the festival. Indeed, the programme consisted wholly of Maltese compositions, all in the Maltese language, and all very much ingrained within Maltese traditions, Maltese typical ways of life and Maltese musical idioms.
Pride of place was justly reserved to the Gaulitanus Choir, under their director Colin Attard, who interpreted four choral unaccompanied works which basically deal with summer, and therefore open-air merry-making. These works tend not only to explore very much the traditional folk idioms but also to imitate the sounds of the marching bands – another important facet of traditional Maltese summers. Charles Camilleri’s “L-Ghanja tas’Sajf”, and Carmelo Pace’s “Lapsi”, “Btajjel”, and the ever-loved “L-Imnarja” which boisterously ended the concert, were very vivaciously interpreted by the choir. The Gaulitanus’s female section also gave a rendition of Pace’s “Is-Sajf” accompanied by Milica Lawrence.
Lawrence actually accompanied all the soloists who performed during the evening, starting with the choir’s four soprano soloists. Anna Bonello performed Stephen Attard’s “Żewġ Għanjiet minn Għawdex”, Patricia Buttigieg interpreted Joseph Vella’s “Waħdi”, Stephanie Portelli presented what well could have been the first Gozo performance of Charles Camilleri’s “Ħames Kanti Popolari” and Annabelle Zammit gave to Joseph Vella’s “Taħnina” and Carmelo Pace’s “Nixtieq”.
Lawrence also teamed up with violinist Pierre Louis Attard in two quite taxing violin-piano duos: Stephen Attard’s suite ”Xejriet” and Carmelo Pace’s very well-known “L-Imnarja”. Joseph Vella’s “Rapsodija Maltija”.
The very enjoyable evening was attended by Culture Director, Mario Azzopardi, and the China Cultural Centre’s representative, Mr Shou, who, towards the end of the evening, also presented a gift to Mro Attard.
(Photo credits: Betty Bugeja)
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Meanwhile, the online review by Albert G. Storace reads:
GauLive’s Feast of Maltese Music:
14th GAULITANA FESTIVAL
Inaugural concert
Soprano soloists:
Annabelle Zammit; Patricia Buttiģieģ;
Anna Bonello; Stephanie Portelli.
Violin: Pierre-Louis Attard
Keyboard: Milica Lawrence.
Gaulitanus Choir
Director: COLIN ATTARD.
Ministry of Gozo, Victoria.
This well-attended concert was the first of a series of six concerts scheduled to end on Saturday 9 October. This event was rather unusual because it entirely consisted of music by Maltese composers. Not the first of the kind but nevertheless uncommon.
Introducing the concert, Colin Attard referred to the basic features of the concert: the celebration of summer, of local feasts, celebrations and togetherness. In fact regarding this togetherness he said he was glad that finally these GauLive concerts are back to live audiences as this evening.
The works performed were a mix of vocal and instrumental with a strong dose of numbers inspired by Maltese folklore. The folk-inspired choral works were dominated by Carmelo Pace (1906-93) who also wrote the lyrics. The very first of his performed this evening was Lapsi (Ascension Day) rekindling images of picnics by the sea and the traditional day when most Maltese have their first “summer” dip. This was followed by the self-explanatory Il-Ghanja tas-sajf (Summer song) by Charles Camilleri (1931-2007). The choir sang in a crisp well-balanced manner in these unaccompanied pieces.
The choir has a number of talented soloists in the soprano section, ladies who at the same time know how to blend with the rest of their section when they sing together. First of them was Annabelle Zammit who sang Tahnina by Joseph Vella (1942-2018), a well-projected tender song, followed by a lot of yearning colouring Pace’s Nixtieq which she sang next.
Very interesting were Żewģ Ghanjiet minn Ghawdex (Two Songs from Gozo) by pianist-composer Stephen Attard to words by Mary Meilak (1905-75). They were sung by Anna Bonello with her attractive voice to keyboard accompaniment by Milica Lawrence. Żgugina is a take on the famous Gozitan legend of St. Demetrius. Żgugina laments the the absence of her son dragged off into slavery by pirates but gets her son back through the intercession of the saint. Contrasting with this happy ending was the fate of baby Greta Vella, the composer’s cousin who many years ago died at just just 10 months and to whom this work is dedicated. The second song was Sufarina.
The composer who was present applauded the musicians’ performance and he in turn received a round of applause from the audience.
He did the same after his nephew Pierre-Louis Attard performed his uncle’s Xejriet (Trends) to accompaniment by Milica Lawrence. The work is in three contrasting movements the first of which is indeed marked Kuntrasti. Pierre-Louis Attard keeps making impressive strides forward in his career. His tone, his clear depiction of mood, whether tenderly poetic or vigorously energetic not to mention well-handled virtuosity are a delight to the ear. Quailties which rendered justice to these Xejriet, the second of which was an Arjetta and with a concluding very energetic Żifna rustika (Rustic Dance). The dedication of this work was to the composer’s musician grandfather Ğanni Vella.
A rare foray in the world of music inspired by the Maltese folk idiom and featuring the same two performers was Joseph Vella’s very charming and very well received Rapsodija Maltija peppered with recognisable local folk themes.
More Joseph Vella came with his song Wahdi (Alone) sung by Patricia Buttiģieģ, another Gaulitanus stalwart. This was poignantly rendered. The same mood hovers over most of the five Kanti by Charles Camilleri, to words by Joe Friggieri (b.1946). Most of these Kanti are rich in dignified sentiment, they reflect the changing moods at different times of day but are round up in n. 5 (Loghba/A Game) which is witty joyful and appropriately playful. All this was well- projected in Stephanie Portelli’s rendering of this beautiful cycle, often in clear high soprano, to the usual supportive accompaniment provided by Milica Lawrence
Gaulitanus had the last word with two unaccompanied songs by Carmelo Pace. First was the lesser-known but no less charming Btajjel (Feast days). Concluding the concert was L-Imnarja, by far the most popular and descriptive choral folk song. Sounds of merriment, feasting and picnicking, dancing, playing the violin and guitar and sections imitating the sounds of wind instruments and percussion… what a feast!
Also present was Mr. Shou representing the Director of the Chinese Cultural Centre and who presented a memento to Colin Attard.
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