The Gaulitanus Choir's recently returned from Lombardia, Italy where it was on a concert-tour between the 9th and the 13th December. This was the choir's third appearance abroad in 2017 and the thirteenth overall - with previous performances taking them to the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, Greece, and Corsica-France, besides Italy.
This Lombardia concert-tour, supported by Arts Council Malta - Export Culture Fund, was realized following the invitation of the Associazione Canticum Novum of Bergamo and its founder-director Erina Gambarini, one of Italy's foremost personalities in the choral field - who were indeed responsible for the organization of the whole concert-tour. Entitled Gloria in Excelsis Deo! Cantando il Natale, the concert-tour featured the Gaulitanus Choir in a wide and interesting selection of compositions from its Christmas repertoire which were presented during three performances in very significant venues in Bergamo and Milano.
The choir opened its commitments on Sunday 10th by animating the Holy Mass for the 2nd Sunday of Advent at the Cattedrale di Sant'Alessandro in Bergamo Alta - the city's historic Duomo and principal church. The repertoire for the mass - celebrated by Fr Giovanni Zanchi in the presence of parish priest Mons Fabio Zucchelli - included works by Zardini, Arcadelt, Mozart, the pastoral-style Alma Redemptoris Mater by Gozitan composer Antonio Buhagiar and the premiere of an arrangement of the Advent hymn Veni, Veni Emmanuel by the Gaulitanus' director Colin Attard. Pertinently, the music performed was specifically approved by Mons Gilberto Sessantini, the Head of Sacred Music at Bergamo's Curia. The congregation was very much engaged by the choir's performance and, abnormally, afforded a very warm round of applause after the recessional hymn.
After the mass, the choir spontaneously joined a local male choir who was carolling during a typical Italian outdoors Christmas manifestation in the winding cobbled streets of Bergamo Alta - atypically, but very suggestively, while the snow was falling. Surely, a round of mulled wine helped to warm it all up!
Two concerts then followed. The first, on Monday 11th, was held at the Chiesa di Santa Maria Immacolata delle Grazie - a landmark in Bergamo (Bassa) and the base of the Associazione Canticum Novum. The audience was led by parish priest Mons Valentino Ottolini and Alberto Gagliano, a high-ranking Canticum Novum official, both of whom welcomed and introduced the choir before the start of the concert.
The second, on Tuesday 12th, was held at Milano's central, historic and splendid Santuario di S. Maria dei Miracoli presso S. Celso. This concert in aid of UNICEF was attended, amongst others, by Dr Fiammetta Casali Mazzoleni, the President of UNICEF Lombardia and the parish priest Fr Diego Arfani. Before the start of the concert both made welcome addresses and introduced the choir.
During these two concerts, the Gaulitanus Choir performed compositions by Vivaldi, Melichar, Leontovich, Fettke, and excerpts from two oratorios, namely Henry Alexander Matthews's The Story of Christmas and Colin Attard's Guzeppi ta' Nazzareth. Of course, Attard's adaptation of Malta foremost Christmas song Ninni la tibkix izjed could not miss. On both occasions the audience generously acknowledged the Gozitan choir's performance also by giving standing ovations and by specifically requesting a bis - which the choir granted. Towards the end of both concerts, the Gaulitanus's founder-director Mro Colin Attard also presented mementos to the distinguished guests as well as to the Canticum Novum's musical director Erina Gambarini.
As always, during this concert-tour, prominent performing space was also given to the choir's principal soloists, namely sopranos Annabelle Zammit, Patricia Buttigieg and Stephanie Portelli, and mezzo-soprano Marthese Borg. Tenor Christian Tanti and baritones Robert Xerri and Jean Noël Attard also shared the spoils in secondary solo parts. Choir and soloists were accompanied by the Gaulitanus's resident accompanist Stephen Attard on the organ, with the choir's musical director Colin Attard conducting.
The choir's inspirational artistic commitments were complemented by some wonderful cultural tours - during which the choir did not refrain from giving ad hoc performances of a cappella hymns whenever they were asked to do so while visiting sacred spaces. Indeed, holistically, this concert-tour was another enriching experience for the choir, strongly contributing towards its artistic and professional development as well as the widening of its cultural perspectives.