The final full day in Vienna was geared towards the choir’s final artistic commitment, a most significant and important one in the evening: when the Gaulitanus Choir was the special guest during the TU Orchestra’s grand symphonic concert. (A second concert was also scheduled for the next day, which, unfortunately, the Gaulitanus had to miss in view of the return flight.)
Whereas the morning and early afternoon were left free for all to finish off their shopping or sightseeing – if one could ever really finish off anything! –, at 6 pm sharp the choristers had to meet at the grand historic campus of the Technical University in Karlsplatz. A rehearsal was scheduled at the University’s spectacular and very atypical Kuppelsaal.
The concert was introduced by Mr Michael Kitzmantel, the key TU Orchestra official behind the Gaulitanus’s Vienna concert tour, who introduced the Gaulitanus Choir and invited the choir members to take the stage. Gaulitanus’s musical director Colin Attard again opted for a wholly Maltese repertoire – again all in Maltese and unaccompanied. This not only reflected the Gozitan choir’s pride in being a prime ambassador of Maltese culture abroad, but it was also very fitting choice it being Malta’s Republic Day.
Mro Colin Attard explained the context of every excerpt to the numerous audience members filling the Kuppersaal. The first pieces were religious hymns: Giuseppe Caruana’s ‘Fil-Hlewwa ta’ Mejju’ (soprano solo: Patricia Buttigieg), ‘Innu ta’ Filghaxija’ and ‘Innu ta’ Filghodu’ as arranged by Attard himself. The choir then moved on to semi-folkloristic realms performing Carmelo Pace’s ‘Lapsi’ and Charles Camilleri’s ‘L-Ghanja tas-Sajf’ (soprano solo: Anna Bonello). At this point Mro Attard invited Mr Kitzmantel on stage and both exchanged mementos, whilst auguring that the collaboration between both cultural entities could be extended further in the future. The Gaulitanus Choir ended its ‘Viennese vocal strains’ in a most bouncy way with Carmelo Pace’s ‘L-Imnarja’. The long applause and reactions received were extremely satisfying.
The concert then continued with the TU Orchestra (in its full symphonic complement) performing Jean Sibelius’s extremely demanding Violin Concerto in D Minor, Op. 47, with violin soloist Paul Kropfitsch, and Anton Bruckner’s majestic Symphony No 4 in Eb Major, WAB 104 (‘The Romantic’) – a most poignant and stirring performance under the baton of Paul-Boris Kertsman.
Truly, the Gaulitanus Choir was thrilled, honoured and thankful that the TU Orchestra felt it apt to invite the choir to open their grand symphonic concert – a very atypical programming which reflects the TU’s belief in the choir’s potential. It was surely a most exciting way to round up the artistic engagements in this grand city of culture.
After the concert – which, as can be deciphered from the concert’s repertoire, lasted till late in the evening – the TU Orchestra hosted the choir (and the key representatives of the Persephone Choir) to a grand buffet in the same TU campus. It was indeed an opportunity for all to savour the success of the evening, enjoy socialising and to augur each other a heartfelt ‘auf wiedersehen’. Indeed, the Gaulitanus Choir members only returned to the hotel in the very early hours when all had to quickly pack up and prepare for the return trip to Malta the next morning.
All choristers woke up merry and bright, albeit maybe a bit sober that a great experience was coming to an end, and very much looking ahead to the choir’s forthcoming ventures abroad!
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