The "GauLive" series, part of the 15th edition of Gaulitana: A Festival of Music, enters into its fourth week with three events featuring its artist-in-residence, US organist-pianist-conductor Alexander Frey, who will be returning to the festival for the first time since the pandemic.
On Monday, 21 March, Frey will present a lecture-recital entitled Gershwin: the man and his music. Being a very versatile artist himself, Frey will be in his mettle talking about the great American composer George Gerswhin while performing works for piano and illustrating all with some rare and interesting footages about Gershwin's achievements in both popular and classical genres. Indeed, the lecture-recital will be a rare treat to all musical buffs, coming from either end of the musical spectrum.
Frey will then be the protagonist as an organist in an atypical musico-spiritual experience, Le Chemin de la Croix (The Stations of the Cross), being held at the Xewkija Rotunda on Thursday, 24 March. The mammoth 14-movement work by Marcel Dupré, one of the most poignant large-scale works in the organ repertoire, intersperses a musical commentary on each station with poetic meditations by Paul Claudel, which will be recited in their English translation by Sue Scantlebury, Marion Sayers and Antony Edridge. All is being enhanced by the projection of a Via Crucis by contemporary Gozitan artist Austin Camilleri, treasured at the Sanctuary of the Divine Mercy at San Pawl tat-Targa, Naxxar, and as photographed by another Gozitan artist, Daniel Cilia.
Frey will finally accompany the Gaulitanus Choir, the organiser of the festival, in John Stainer's very famous oratorio, The Crucifixion. This meditation on the passion of the Holy Redeemer will also feature tenor Alan Sciberras and bass-baritone Louis Andrew Cassar under the direction of Gaulitana artistic director, Colin Attard. The concert is being held on election day, Saturday, 26 March at Gharb Basilica, in collaboration with the Gharb Local Council. This will be the third and final Lent-themed event.
Entrance to the concerts, all starting at 7.30pm and held in compliance with health regulations, is free. Reservations for the concerts can be made on [email protected]
Gaulitana: A Festival of Music, organised by the Gaulitanus Choir and artistically directed by Colin Attard, is an awardee of the prestigious EFFE label of the European Festivals Associations and principally supported by the ICOG scheme of Arts Council Malta and the Ministry for Gozo. The 'GauLive' series is being held with the collaboration of Visit Malta, APS Bank, Bank of Valletta, the Istituto Italiano di Cultura, the China Cultural Centre, Quaint Boutique Hotels, Citadel Video Communications, Victoria, Xaghra and Gharb Local Councils, the Armed Forces of Malta and the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra