Being held during Lent, Gaulitana: A Festival includes a number of Lent-related events. The first was held on Tuesday 15th March at the Kempinski Hotel San Lawrenz when Federico Gozzelino’s “Per Musicam ad Divinum” was put on. This work in 7 movements for piano solo, inspired by excerpts from the Gospels and also known as “The Mystical Story of Christ”, was interpreted by Italian pianist Silvia Belfiore – a Gozzelino specialist. The relative Gospel excerpts were narrated by Manuel Cauchi and Joanna Pullicino and were enhanced by the projection of correlated Italian Baroque paintings. The event was held in collaboration with the Istituto Italiano di Cultura.
Photo credits: Lorne Cremona
Meanwhile, Albert G Storace’s online review reads:
“PER MUSICAM AD DIVINUM”: 7 PIANO PIECES INSPIRED by the GOSPELS.
Yet another quite unique experience in this festival’s current edition, the event was very much in synch with the Lenten period. The core element which inspired Gozzelino’s seven piano pieces was an overview of what Christians of every denomination hold as extremely central to their Faith. This is the Redemption which extends from the birth of Jesus Christ, His mission on Earth, his Death and Resurrection.
Even before the music started, the narrators introduced the first of what actually are tone pictures of all seven episodes. Both narrators were outstanding in their diction and projection of the message behind every episode. All but one of the seven beautiful paintings projected on a large video screen are by Mattia Preti (1613-99) known to us only too well in or islands. The only exception is episode 3: The three blind men of Jericho. This is by a Genoese artist, Gioacchino Assereto (1600-49) considered as a “caravaggiesco”. The paintings were selected by Joseph Calleja (not the singer) who is Gaulitana’s art curator.
The first episode “The Birth of Christ”, Luke 2: 8-20 had a soft impressionist tinge to it. It had a warm serene atmosphere with moments of jubilation as well as softer moments which sounded like a lullaby. The atmosphere changed in the following piece: “Preaching and healing”, Matthew 4: 23-25 had a bit of a heavy tread to it. No doubt heavy burdens of sickness and disability are evoked and by the looks of it, the miracle concerned is the healing of the man stricken by life-long palsy.. Some dissonant bars accentuated the misery of the afflicted, which of course changes to joy and wonder after the healing. More of that came across in “The three blind men of Jericho”, Matthew 20: 29-34. At one point there was no mistaking a busy 4-note figure in the left hand to a flurry of cascading notes in the right. This was a triple miracle with wonder and joy reaching a climax.
A gurgling of busy, happy, sound describes the chattering and bustling children as they crowd around Jesus in “Jesus and the children”, Luke 18: 15-17. This motif appears on and off throughout the episode while in other parts it also evokes the over-protectiveness of Jesus the Apostles had. This triggered Christ’s gentle rebuke to them. The air went back to the children’s happy mood and the other famous statements of this event.
As could be expected, Episodes 5: “Jesus mocked and crowned with thorns”, Mark 15: 6-20 and no. 6, “The agony and death of Jesus”, Mark 15: 33-35 projected pain and suffering, heartless cruelty and a final release by which death concluded this judicial murder.
The hope, promise and joy resulting in “The Resurrection”, John 20: 1-30 were all there in this final episode. Throughout the performance the pianist maintained a steady command of the music with the appropriate touch required for such a multi-faceted work. This blended very well with the smooth contribution of the narrators, whose readings helped to project the right atmosphere leaving the piano (and paintings) to consolidate the whole.
The result really made the performance live up to the promise in the title: “Through music to the Divine”.
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