World-renowned soprano Miriam Gauci will be singing Giuseppe Verdi’s Messa da Requiem at the Mediterranean Conference Centre in Valletta on Saturday. She will sing alongside mezzo-soprano Claire Massa, tenor Christopher Busietta and bass Albert Buttigieg in one of the largest performances ever seen in Malta, which will also include the St Monica Choir, the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra and the Armed Forces of Malta Band.
Born in Vittoriosa in what she describes as a family who loved music, Gauci has not only graced the stage of La Scala in Milan, but also most of the greatest opera houses in the world such as those of Vienna, Berlin, Munich, Rome, Paris, New York, San Francisco, Barcelona and Madrid. She also inaugurated the Los Angeles opera season together with Placido Domingo where she sang the part of Mimì in Giacomo Puccini’s La Bohème.
Miriam’s husband, conductor Michael Laus, will be steering the ship. “Michael has always been a great inspiration and source of support for me and I’m really excited about the prospect of working with him on Verdi’s Requiem because I love the flavour that he brings to it. It’s amazing how much personality goes into conducting.
“When I opened the Salzburg Festival a few years back and sang the Requiem, conductor Riccardo Muti brought to the part great passion but when I did the same piece with Georges Prȇtre later on, he brought to it a very delicate air,” Gauci says.
Although she has sung the Requiem numerous times, Gauci is always amazed by the beauty of the piece. “Although it is popular knowledge that Verdi had no particular beliefs when it came to the afterlife, I think that there is a special place in heaven for him and his music. From the very beginning and the Kyrie, one feels like they have been transported to another place, like they are going somewhere new.
“For the soprano, it’s nothing if not a tricky piece because Verdi used a lot of extremes in his music and expected a lot of flexibility from his soloists. The Libera me in particular is very taxing but it is truly typical of the Verdi style of doing things. It is a piece where you have to give it your all through and through,” she says.
After having lived in Milan for over 18 years and travelling constantly from one place to another to perform, Gauci is very happy about the prospect of being able to be part of something of this magnitude on her own soil.
“This is the first time that something so huge will be able to be heard by the Maltese public because the MCC is the only place big enough to house it completely. When I was younger it seemed impossible that such a production would ever be possible in Malta, but thanks to the venue and Michael’s way of bringing everything together, our dream will be realised.”
“To be honest I have never ever accepted parts which I didn’t feel were suitable for my voice. When I was younger, I used to receive invitations to sing pretty heavy parts, however, I didn’t feel that it was the right time. For me my one goal has always been good singing and good music. It has never been about my career or the money, all I have ever wanted is to perform pieces which spoke to my heart,” says the soprano.