On Sunday, December 7th, the Gaulitanus Choir gave its last official public performance for its 35th anniversary year. It featured in another edition of the ‘Tota Pulchra’ annual concert, organised by the Cultural Council within the Ministry for Gozo & Planning, held at St Augustine Church, Victoria, Gozo. The church was filled to maximum capacity by a very appreciative audience, presided by the Hon Minister for Gozo, Clint Camilleri.
The concert was directed and accompanied by the Gaulitanus Choir’s founder-director, Colin Attard. Apart from being responsible for some of the choral arrangements, the maestro also introduced and gave some interesting information on all the excerpts, which made up a very varied repertoire of sacred music.
The concert started with 2 Marian hymns: ‘Tota Pulchra’ by the eminent Italian priest-composer Lorenzo Perosi and ‘Ave Maria’ by Gibraltar-born William Gomez. The second part was devoted to 2 Eucharistic motets: ‘Ave Verum’ from the ‘3 Motets, Op. 2’ by one of England’s top composers ever, Edward Elgar and ‘O Cor Amoris Victima’ by the Anglo-Spanish priest-composer Francis M. de Zulueta. The next chop was made up of 3 internationally-renowned religious songs: ‘Let There be Peace on Earth’ by American composer Sy Miller, ‘Sanctuary of the Heart’ by English composer Albert W. Ketèlbey, and ‘The Holy City’ by English composer Michael Maybrick (alias Stephen Adams).
Of course, a few seasonal numbers could not miss, and 3 Yuletide excerpts with a Gozitan touch were also performed: ‘Alma Redemptoris Mater’ by Victoria-born Anton Buhagiar, the advent hymn ‘Veni, Veni Emmanuel’ as arranged specifically for the Gaulitanus by Colin Attard, and the latter’s own ‘Ninni … Ninni’, a set of variations on the best-loved traditional Maltese Christmas tune.
The concert was brought to quite a climactic end with 2 festive motets by Spanish priest-composer Valentino Miserachs Grau, who the Gaulitanus had the honour to host in Gozo for a symposium on sacred music in 2024. Indeed, the choir re-presented ‘Psallite” and ‘Cantate Dominum’ which it had the honour to perform under the direction of Mro Miserachs Grau himself during the same symposium.
The concert’s principal soloists were sopranos Georgina Gauci and Antonella Portelli, and mezzo-soprano Mary Grace Portelli, with baritone Robert Xerri and tenor Joseph Calleja joining in a few numbers.
The Gaulitanus Choir now gears up for its upcoming major festive season event, the 14th edition of its annual ‘A New Year’s Toast’, which the choir produces each January 1st.
Photos: MGP
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