Joseph Vella directing the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra in a great finish to the Victoria International Arts Festival. Photo: Sam Cefai

Concert
Andrea Gajic, violin; Roberto Colavalle, male contralto;
Laudate Pueri Choir, Gozo and Siglo de Oro, London;Malta Philharmonic Orchestra/dir. Joseph Vella
St George’s Basilica, Victoria

All good things come to an end, to return the following year. So after a run of 34 concerts, the concluding concert of the Victoria International Arts Festival’s 18th edition was a very grand affair, with Gozo’s St George’s Basilica packed to capacity.

This was mainly a choral concert, with only the opening work being purely instrumental. The latter was the splendid Sibelius Violin Concerto, one of the most beautiful things to emerge from the mists of the far north. It was done great justice by young soloist Andrea Gajic and her wondrous playing of this great work with a formidable Malta Philharmonic Orchestra. It was an interpretation combining great power and force, with tender yearning which at points was the violin’s veritable crie de coeur.

Another page in Malta’s music history was being written there and then, for this was the work’s local premiere performance. Sounds odd, but it was! Trust Joseph Vella to be at it, directing a local premiere of a great work.

Also being premiered in these islands were an anthem and a hymn, the former Vella’s In honour of Fra’ Matthew Festing, Grandmaster of the SMOM, and a Hymn to St Francis in honour of Pope Francis by Massimo Palombella. Both works were commissioned by Christopher Hyland, with lyrics by Hyland himself and Lisa Zeiger.

The main message in both is highly idealistic, mainly unity in diversity and other hot issues like ideological disagreements, the environment and so on. Not great earth-shattering material here, which was quite unlike the other great local premiere – that of Stravinsky’s Symphony of Psalms. This is a totally different sound world, more so because of the music’s treatment according to the very meaning of the word ‘symphony’.

The main message in both is highly idealistic, mainly unity in diversity

Stravinsky was controversial, to say the least, and it takes a lot of time to digest and perhaps try to reach an understanding of his complex musical thought, his treatment of sound and form. Here in his neoclassical phase he resorts to pre-classical “recreating of old language but also reconfiguring old form”, to quote the ever-erudite programme notes by Maria Frendo.

Stravinsky also strove to create balance between voices and instruments, and here the combined choirs did not always manage to overcome the challenge. The work’s three movements followed without a pause and were brought home after many a hurdle had been overcome.

Obviously psalm-based too was the evening’s last work, Bernstein’s very popular Chichester Psalms. This is another work which Vella premiered in these islands back in 1986. Ever popular, this work, based on three different psalms, was carried off brilliantly by all forces.

While there are moments of great serenity and lyrical sweetness, this apparent simplicity is offset by the devilishly-difficult rhythmic variety and richness of the outer movements. The singing could be homophonic here and there, but also at complete odds with male and female sections of the choirs singing in different tempi. The male contralto part, which dominates the second psalm, was very ably interpreted by Roberto Colavalle, who I believe is no newcomer to the VIAF.

There could be no more fitting conclusion to this edition of the Victoria International Arts Festival.