The oratorio Pawlu ta’ Malta, about the shipwreck of St Paul in Malta, is being performed at St Theresa sanctuary in Birkirkara on 8 February, two days before the feast of St Paul’s Shipwreck, Tourism Minister Francis Zammit Dimech said. The work, to music by Mro Prof. Charles Camilleri and words by Prof. Oliver Friggieri, is the first oratorio in Maltese and was premiered at St John’s Co-Cathedral in 1985.

The orchestra and choir of the Collegium Musicum will be under the direction of Mro Dion Buhagiar; Mario Bisazza will lead the orchestra. The soloists are soprano Claire Caruana, tenor Frans Mangion and baritone Alfred Camilleri. Philip Farrugia Randon will narrate.

Prof. Camilleri and Prof. Friggieri had also produced the oratorio Dun Gorg, about Malta’s first saint. The two works, Dr Zammit Dimech said, dealt with two very important events in Maltese history.

Those attending the performance will be given a programme which will carry the entire text of the oratorio in Maltese. Tickets may be obtained from the ministry or from the Tourism Authority office in Freedom Square.

The performance is being sponsored by Bank of Valletta.