Concert
Schola Cantorum Jubilate/The New Choral Singers;
Malta Philharmonic Orchestra/
dir. and piano soloistWayne Marshall
Fort St Elmo, Valletta

A welcome, cool breeze was very much felt during the recent annual summer concert by HSBC at a very choice venue: the main courtyard of the recently-restored historic Fort St Elmo. It is true that at times the breeze threatened to develop into a wind of some force, but it was far better to hear the flapping of some of the trappings above the orchestra than to have to hear noisy and clumsily-handled fans.

Wayne Marshall, a very accomplished organist and pianist, is also a very charismatic director. An additional gift is how he interacted not only with an MPO in fine fettle, but also with the audience, thanks to his slick and brief introduction to each piece. Although in an effort to involve the audience he kept saying that “everybody knows” this or that, even what seems easy was not allowed to chance.

Schola Cantorum Jubilate from Gozo and The New Choral Singers from Malta took part in this concert. They both made an instantly-good impression in the opening chorus (O Fortuna) from Orff’s Carmina Burana. They were precise and dynamically very sound.

Then what I think was the best interpreted choral piece was the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel’s Messiah. They carried it off splendidly and in what must have been the highest choral notes sung that evening, the female sections sounded wonderfully clear and texturally as clean and smooth as could be. The public was urged to join in during an encore of this chorus, which all told was not as good as the first time.

Three pieces were on a lighter scale, beginning with what turned out to be excellent performances by choirs and orchestra of Freddy Mercury’s Bohemian Rhapsody, with its mind-blowing harmonies

The choirs had a bit of a rest while the MPO launched into Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. This was brilliant in all its facets and phases. There was some very good work from clarinets and brass. It was dreamy and almost enervating at times but, well, that mood was often dispelled by some very zestful tuttis, rhythmically exciting and forceful. Needless to say, Wayne Marshall put all his energy into it and his great cadenza led to the work’s winding up.

Then the choirs came back with Va’ pensiero from Verdi’s Nabucco: impeccably executed, although that final note was not extended just long enough into a dying echo. Verdi it was again in the next piece, the Grand March from Aïda.

One would have preferred the bass sections to be more forceful in certain parts; and perhaps it was beginning to tell that the way the choirs were placed, with some sections completely separate from others, worked against achieving fuller cohesion. In other pieces this was not so evident.

The last purely-orchestral piece was an energetic rendering of the overture to Bizet’s Carmen, with the audience providing additional percussive effects by clapping. What followed then was a lovely contrasting piece, Bach’s Jesu Joy of Man’s Desiring; a serene and smoothly-flowing interpretation by choirs and orchestra.

The next three pieces were on a lighter scale, beginning with what turned out to be excellent performances by choirs and orchestra of Freddy Mercury’s Bohemian Rhapsody, with its quasi-mind-blowing harmonies, and Kevin Abela’s arrangement of Xemx by local group The Tramps. The latter came across in a great sweeping melody which with every appearance became increasingly intense and harmonically rich.

Kevin Abela’s other arrangement of the Beatles’ Yellow Submarine medley was fun too. Not so successful at times was Abba’s Mamma Mia! (arr. Gary Fry), with some choral entries sounding a bit weak and patchy.

The grand finale was the conclusion of Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture from just before the quotation from the Marsellaise to the final shattering cannon and bells effect, and a fireworks display from all around the courtyard which lasted a few minutes and led to a standing ovation.

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