‘Tota Pulchra” was the title of a lunchtime concert held on the feast of the Immaculate Conception organised by the MGOZ’s Cultural Council. Held at St Augustine Church, Victoria, this featured the Gaulitanus Choir’s soprano soloists Anna Bonello, Patricia Borg and Annabelle Zammit as well as violinist Pierre Louis Attard, accompanied by the choir’s musical director, Colin Attard, who also artistically directed.
The well-patronised concert fittingly opened with some Marian repertoire: Durante’s ‘Virgin tutto amor’, Cherubini’s ‘Ave Maria’ and Lorenc’ s ‘Ave Maria’ interpreted by Bonello, Borg and Zammit respectively.
Violinist Pierre Louis Attard then came up with Epardo’s adaptation of 2 movements for solo violin from Orff’s ‘Carmina Burana’ – which struck a chord with the original medieval poems and songs originating from an abbey and the concert being held in a friary.
The second chop was dedicated to music by Gozitan composers – all with some religious connotations. Bonello performed Stephen Attard’s ‘Zgogina’, Zammit interpreted Joseph Vella’s ‘Tahnina’ and Borg sung Colin Attard’s ‘La Bendicion de Matrimonio’. Another Vella excerpt, the solo violin movement from ‘Ramblings’ followed.
The final part was dedicated to Yuletide music: Reger’s ‘Maria Wiegenlied’ (Bonello), Schubert-Melichar’s ‘Mille Cherubini in Coro’ (Zammit) and Alexander Matthews’s ‘The Annunciation’ (Borg). Colin Attard’s arrangement of a Christmas medley for violin and piano followed.
The concert then ended in grand style with all performers joining forces in Stephen Adams’s ‘The Holy City’.

