The Gaulitana: A Festival of Music passed into its ninth representation this evening with the Con Amore concert, held at the Exhibition Hall in St. Francis Square, at 8.00 p.m.
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The performers of this concert were Sarah Spiteri on the viola and Alex Vella Gregory on the piano.
Sarah Spiteri started her musical studies in Malta, where she obtained her Licentiate of the Trinity College. In 1990, having won the Bice Mizzi Vassallo music competition, she continued her studies in Lyon, France. Sarah also followed a number of international master classes at the Accademia Chigana, Siena, following courses both in violin technique with Boris Belkin and in computer music with Giorgio Nottoli and Riccardo Santoboni. Sarah holda a B.A. (Hons) in Theatre Studies and a post graduate in Dramatherapy from the University of Surrey, Roehampton. She also has a number of CDs to her credit, featuring works by Charles Camilleri, Nicolò Isouard and Pietro Paolo Bugeja. She also features in the CDs War Cantata, a work by John Cremona and Charles camilleri, Mal-Kant tal-Baħar, a song cycle by Joe Friggieri and Charles Camilleri, and Ä esti where she plays works by Camilleri, Donizetti and ibert together with harpist Ann Marie Camilleri Podesta.
Sarah is currently responsible for music projects at St. James Cavalier, Centre for Creativity, in Malta. Amongst her projects she has successfully launched and is currently managing the Valletta Lunchtime Concert series held at St. Catherine of Italy Church and the Sala Isouard (Teatru Manoel), the series Meet the Composer held every month, and Intimate Letters Series held in palaces and auberges around Malta. She is the leader of St. James consort, a 13-piece string ensemble, with an electic repertoire of baroque and contemporary works. Last April, Sarah adapted and directed a version of Mozart’s The Magic Flute for children at the Teatru Manoel. For the current season, Sarah has been commissioned by the Teatru Manoel to create and direct an original version of Peter and the Wolf enhanced with choreography by Emma Loftus.
Alexander Vella Gregory was born in Malta in 1984. He started his piano and music theory studies at an early age, first with Dr. Dion Buhagiar and later with Mro. Paul Borg and Mro. Laurence Borg. It was under the latter’s guidance that he obtained an Associate of the London College of Music (ALCM) diploma. In 2002 he won the Ian Tomlin Napier / Malta Music Scholarship which enabled him to persue a B.Mus(Hons) degree in composition at the Ian Tomlin School of Music, Napier University, Edinburgh where he graduated in 2006. He is active both as a composer and as a pianist. Current projects include an opera based on the diaries of Anne Frank, a set of Lacrymae for choir and a set of songs for soprano and ensemble.
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For this concert, Sarah and Alex chose to treat the audience to and evening with 17th and 18th century works. They started with the Sonata in Bb major -Grave, Allegro con fuoco, Largo and the Allegro vivace by Loillet of London; followed by the Sonata in G major – Siciliana, Vivace, Dolce and Scherzando by Telmann; the Sonata in D major – Allegro moderato, Largherro sostenuto and the Rondeau (Allegretto) by Brunetti; and finally The Billiard Sonata – Andante, Grazioso (Minuet) and Allegro Scherzoso by Giardini.
Each piece was introduced and explained to the audiece by Sarah herself.
The Gaulitana: A Festival of Music continues next Friday the 18th April 2008 at the Aula Mrg. G. Farrugia, St. George’s Basilica, at 8.00 p.m. The performer will be Susanne Anatchkova – from Bavaria, Germany – and she will play six works by Chopin, two by Messiaen, one each by Ravel and Ligeti, and three pieces by Gershwin-Earl Wild.
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