Barocco Productions presented husband and wife duo flautist Silvio Zammit and pianist Ramona Zammit Formosa in a well-attended lunch-time recital at the Franciscan Oratory in Republic Street, Valletta.
Midway through the recital the pianist performed Angel Music from Lloyd Webber’s Phantom Of The Opera thus giving a bit of a break to the flautist who in the first half had featured in arrangements of Mozart’s Andante in C, K. 315, Haydn’s Serenade from his String Quartet (N.8) and the equally famous Mon Coeur S’ouvre A Ta Voix from Saint-Saëns’s Samson Et Dalilah in a smooth transition from style to style which continued in Denver’s very beautiful Annie’s Song.
The technical prowess and balanced rapport of the duo continued with some lighter music such as two Carmelo Pace works, the wistful Reverie (1926) and Pas Leger (1951) which reminds one of some of Poulenc’s effervescently mischievous music.
The welcome inclusion of arrangements of two Maltese folk themes brought this recital to a close: the haunting Ballata and the contrastingly jolly and energetic il-Maltija. It was not quite the end, however, because the duo performed Lennon and McCartney’s Yesterday.
Zammit Formosa whose reputation as harpsichordist is well-known besides being the only professional clavichord player in this country, proceeded to the Manoel Theatre where the theatre’s new harpsichord was presented to the press.
She performed Rameau’s La Dauphine to the gathering.
* * *
Later on the same day, it was choral singing by the Kammerkoret Nesodden/Frogn from Norway.
I had heard just one and a bit of their programme in the first half of another concert four days earlier at St John’s.
This time, another cathedral, St Paul’s pro-Anglican in Valletta was the chosen venue, a performance they put on in aid of the cathedral organ’s restoration fund.
Besides some Schubert, Fauré and others there were works by Grieg and some other Norwegian composers including N.Larsen, Tveit/Skeie, Dass and Weider.
The lovely voice of mezzo-soprano Marianne Andersen was heard in no less than six solos.
Director Gunnar Bjerknes-Haugen also sang a solo as well as a duet with Margrethe Bjerknes and flautist Anne Marit Tronvik.
Another work was sung by soloist Kirsten Aaslund.
The well-trained choir gave an overall very good performance and when mezzo-soprano and choir sang Rodgers’s You’ll Never Walk Alone, the piece had additional poignant significance in view of the trauma Norway suffered after last summer’s dreadful massacre.
It embodies the resilience, courage and dignity of these people who were representing their country this far south.
It was even more significant as one of the ladies in the choir had been shot three times and lived to tell the tale… and sing.