On 9 February 2012, the Paulus orchestra held its annual concert of sacred music at St Paul’s Collegiate Church in Rabat to commemorate the feast of St Paul’s Shipwreck on the island. After this concert’s resounding success, the orchestra committee decided to embark on a process which would see the strengthening of this event, the ultimate aim being that of promoting orchestral music and the Pauline cult in Malta.
This year, the Paulus orchestra is launching the Agape Festival, a celebration of music and culture to honour three significant events in the religious and cultural life of Malta and Rabat, the birthplace of this orchestra. The year 2013 marks the anniversary of a very important event in the civic and ecclesiastical history of Rabat as this ancient town commemorates the 50th anniversary of the elevation of St Paul’s parish church to collegiate status and the ensuing transfer of St Paul’s Grotto jurisdiction to the parish church.
The anniversary deserves to be marked on a national scale as it represents a significant event in the history of the Maltese Catholic Church and local Church-State relations. Besides, this festival will also be commemorating the 400th anniversary of the birth of painter Mattia Preti, whose paintings adorn various Maltese churches and museums, including Rabat’s St Paul’s parish church and the adjacent Wignacourt Museum and the Catholic Church’s Year of Faith.
The Agape Festival will open on Saturday 2 February with a lecture by Mons. John Azzopardi and Prof Keith Sciberras about the works of Mattia Preti with a special focus on those found in Rabat’s Pauline complex. This lecture starts at 7.30pm and is being organised in conjunction with Heritage Malta. The venue is highly iconic as it will be held at St Publius Church, the church which stands above St Paul’s Grotto and is annexed to St Paul’s church. St Publius church boasts a titular painting by Preti showing The Virgin Mary and her Child with St John the Baptist and Publius.
St Paul’s Church will provide the setting for a one hour lecture by Mons. Marco Frisina on Friday 8 February at 7pm, which will delve into the development of sacred music in the last 200 years. Mons. Frisina’s presence will again be one of the highlights during the next day’s concert at St. Paul’s church as the Paulus orchestra, its choir and the Coro Bel Canto under the guidance of Mro Hermann Farrugia Frantz perform the Oratorio ‘Apostolo delle Genti’ composed by Mons. Frisina in 2008 to mark the Pauline Year. During the same concert, Mons Frisina will also be directing the two liturgical pieces, Anima Christi and the Magnificat.
The concert is being organised through the backing of APS Bank, Malta Arts Fund, Fr Martin Caruana Foundation and the Reverend Archpriest and the Collegiate Chapter of Rabat’s St Paul’s church.
The Paulus orchestral concert will be held on Saturday 9 February at the Collegiate church of St Paul, Rabat, at 7.30pm and while entrance is free, patrons are kindly asked to be seated by 7.15pm