Gaulitanus Choir returns from France concert tour

Gozo’s Gaulitanus Choir has returned to Malta after its latest international concert tour, this time round in France, indeed a two-legged one in Paris and Corsica, between 6 and 10 November.

The concert tour kicked off very excitingly in the very heart of the French capital, namely at L'Église Sainte Marie Madeleine, one of the most important concert venues in Paris, truly a huge and magnificent architectural structure with sublime acoustics. Here, the Gaulitanus Choir gave a full scale afternoon concert consisting wholly of Maltese music. This included compositions by Joseph Vella, Charles Camilleri, Carmelo Pace, Giuseppe Caruana and choir founder-director Colin Attard. Besides the choir, these works very prominently featured two of the choir’s principal soloists, sopranos Stephanie Portelli and Annabelle Zammit. Tenor Joseph Calleja and bass-baritone Paul Scicluna joined for a few solo lines. Attard conducted and also accompanied on the keyboard wherever required. Very significantly, all the chosen compositions used the Maltese language, which, despite offering a big communicative challenge in itself, very definitely added a special aura to the event. Truly, this was a first for the choir and probably also a first-ever for any Maltese singing group performing abroad. However, positively, the performance was extremely well-received by a very warm audience (including a few Maltese) who attended in very good numbers. Hence, the choir reciprocated by giving an encore: very pertinently a chorus from the opera Joconde composed by Nicolo Isouard for the Opera Comique in the vicinity of La Madaleine, and of course in French. This choir’s first public performance on mainland France also had the cooperation of the Maltese Embassy in Paris, which was represented at the concert by embassy officials led by counsellor Nicole Sarsero.

From Paris the choir moved to Bastia in Corsica, where the choir represented Malta in the 21st edition of the Rencontres Musicales de Mediterranee, alongside various other groups from all around the Mediterranean basin, namely Italy, France, Catalonia, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Egypt and of course Corsica itself. The choir’s principal event was a concert at Bastia’s Théâtre Municipal Bastia’s, where it participated alongside a string orchestra from Lyon Conservatory (France) and an Egyptian Big Band. The large audience present was extremely receptive to the choir’s performance of Maltese music – a selection from the repertoire presented in Paris. Very enthusiastic was the reception afforded to the Maltese choir by both students and teachers in the two educational events it gave, whether at Folelli’s College or Bastia’s College St Josephi. Singing at the latter’s space was also special because of the stunning natural backdrop offered by the isles of Elba and Capraia! The Gaulitanus Choir’s final commitment in Corsica was again at Bastia’s Théâtre Municipal, where it participated during the festival’s concluding Soirée de Gala featuring all participating groups. The Gozitan choir’s slot was accompanied by the festival orchestra conducted by Alberto Bombonati from Milan’s Conservatorio Giuseppe Verdi, which resulted to be one of the evening’s very high points and very well-received by the big audience which packed the Theatre Municipal.

This was the Gaulitanus Choir’s fifth appearance at the Rencontres Musicales de Meditterranee, following invitations from the Jeunesses Musicales de Mediterranee. It is the choir’s pleasure to proudly wave high Malta’s flag abroad, more so in its role as a foremost ambassador of Maltese music abroad.

This French concert tour, part of the Gozitan choir’s programme of international events, was the third one for the current year. Endorsed by Arts Council Malta, this has also seen the Gaulitanus Choir in Italy (Assisi and Rome) and in Latvia (Riga, Kuldiga and Salaspils). The choir now looks towards its 20th venture abroad in 2020, when it will also be celebrating its 30th anniversary.

For more information visit www.gaulitanus.com