The Bir Miftuh festival ended with a concert jointly presented by Din l-Art Ħelwa with the generous support of the German-Maltese Circle and the Goethe-Institut. Except for three works, all the works performed were by composers from the Teutonic world.
The performers were the wonderful Sweet Bird Trio, consisting of soprano Katharina Ruckgaber and flautist Tatjana Ruhland with, at the piano, the latter’s husband Christian Schmitt.
This trio was well, sehr, sehr sympatisch! They were excellent communicators: Ruhland with her very informative and often witty comments about the music, and her interpretation thereof, Ruckgaber with her excellent interpretative vocal skills, and Schmitte with his very fine support at the keyboard. Add to this the charming bearing and presence of the ladies… what else could one want?
All this was evident from the very beginning when Handel’s Sweet Bird (Il Penseroso) for soprano flute and continuo was performed, and followed by the same composer’s Singe Seele, Gott zum Preise. The trio lived up to its name here with voice and flute evoking the twittering and chatter of a bird in full song.
There was a feast of coloratura from both soprano and flute separately or together, smooth dialogue and flow, which augured very well for the rest of the concert.
The flute took centre stage with C.P.E. Bach’s Sonata in D Major for flute and continuo, Wq. 131. This was a really charming work in three brief movements and gave way to the first non-German work, namely Caccini’s Amarilli mia bella, sung by Ruckgaber with stylish delicacy and depth of feeling. She changed tone and idiom very well when she sang the amusing aria Wie schmeckt der Coffee süße from J.S. Bach’s Coffe Cantata, BWV 211.
A different kind of virtuosity was the solo flute Passacaglia Op. 48 N. 2 by the Hungarian composer Ernò von Dohnanyi in which Ruhland took the flute up and down dizzy heights with the greatest of ease.
Very interesting was the selection of works by the only Austrian composer this evening, Schubert, in which soprano and flute played an important part. Ruckgaber sang with great charm two Lieder: first Der Fischer, Op. 5 N. 3/D. 225, and followed by the wistful fanciful Ich wolt’ ich wär ein Fisch, D. 558. The gorgeous Ständchen, D. 957 was on the list and I looked forward to hearing the soprano singing this jewel but instead it was a surprising and eventually not disappointing arrangement for flute and piano, which included some very elaborate and well-executed variations on the song’s theme.
Ruckgaber returned with a deeply felt rendering of Litanei, D. 343 (Litany for the feast of All Souls), with every stanza ending with a very touching Alle Seelen ruh’n in Frieden (All souls rest in peace). It took some time for the hush that followed to be broken by the very well-deserved applause.
Equally well-deserved was audience reaction to Ruhland’s interpretation of an arrangement for flute and piano of Mozart’s Andante in C Major for flute and orchestra, K. 315.
The trio ended as they started: living up to their name in Henry Bishop’s Lo! Here the Gentle Lark from his musical Comedy of Errors.
Considered as the quintessential coloratura piece, it was a bit hard to say who, soprano or flute, sounded more like a lark in an abandon of song. It was simply splendid!