Varied voices

Though I have watched some editions of the Voices concert on television, this year was the first time I actually attended in person, and while I did enjoy the show on October 2, it wasn’t without its flaws.

Starting late was the least of them; I acknowledge that allow­ances had to be made due to traffic problems outside, but when people amble into the auditorium at a snail’s pace, it frustrates those of us who make the extra effort to be early and seated as advised; worse still, it happens all over again after the interval.

There were moments of total magnificence and an adequate share of less sparkling moments. As everyone who was there will probably agree, the concert’s finest moment had to be the exquisite rendition of Caruso, sung by the incredibly talented Dorothy Bezzina and Edward Camilleri.

Apart from the flawless vocal execution by both singers, Bezzina’s versatile vocal range shone through, lifting the song ever higher as her voice soared during the song’s climax. Equally impressive – and energetic too – was Justin Galea’s bubbly take on Mika’s Grace Kelly; a tasking song by all means, but one he handled superbly and with panache.

Other high points of the concert were the choir’s rendition of Dreamer and L-Aħħar Bidwi f’Wied il-Għasel, the latter based upon Claudio Baglioni’s recent interpretation rather than the New Cuorey original. Dorothy Borg Bonnici gave quite a powerful lift to Queen’s A Kind of Magic, coupling her performance with a feisty stage presence. Rachel Cilia Pisani’s Suddenly I See was quite faithful to the original, but a little more movement onstage would have got more of the audience involved.

A big thumbs-up also goes to Gianluca Bezzina for his near-prefect cover of Aerosmith’s I Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing, which far eclipsed his earlier appearance doing Take That’s Shine. Caroline Callus’ interpretation of Madonna’s Like a Prayer got the audience involved and brought out the best in the choir behind her. This would have been the ideal ‘finale’ for the concert instead of the programmed You Can’t Stop the Beat, which, lively as it may have been, lacked choreography and presentation.

The fact that the choir’s participation on this song was relatively minimal may also have had something to do with this.On the downside, I felt the choir didn’t feel as ‘together’ and sharp on most of the songs performed without a soloist out front. Another faux-pas was Boogie Wonderland, which started out quite well but lost its momentum once the three instrumental solos took over.Voices is a choir performance, and such solos – and so many of them – are hardly necessary.

A short drum solo, if at all, would have been more than adequate to keep the song’s energy and the audience’s interest intact. Stephen Ferrito’s effort on How Sweet it is to be Loved by You was commendable but he seemed to suffer at certain points of the song. Doo Wop is great when it’s done accurately, but when it isn’t even the tiniest slip stands out.

The in-between scripts were amusing but the dialogue seemed to get a bit too long at times. That said, it was still an entertaining night out for all present. My compliments to the musical conductors for their efforts and, naturally, the band, choir and all the technical crew for the time they put in towards this noble cause.

bugeja.michael@gmail.com