The St Paul Metropolitan Orchestra will be embarking on another huge project, performing the internationally acclaimed Requiem et Resurrectio et Vita (1991), which may be considered to be one of the finest musical compositions of the sacred repertoire composed by 20th-century Maltese composer Mro Joseph Sammut (b. 1926).
Sammut’s Requiem, which was written and dedicated to former prime minister Ġorġ Borg Olivier (1911-1980) and president of La Vallette Band Club, was premiered in Malta on October 31, 1991 at St John’s Co-Cathedral, Valletta.
The Requiem was recorded live during its German performance in the parish church of St Gebhard in Konstanz on February 11, 1995.
The premiere of the Requiem in 1991 at St John’s Co-Cathedral in Valletta was heard by German management consultant Bernd Glathe who, struck by its international message, wide vision and musical grandiosity, made arrangements for a German performance in the university city of Konstanz, under the auspices and sponsorship of a German interest group, Music in Management. Again, and with Sammut himself conducting the Sudwestdeutsche Philharmonie Konstanz, the work was extremely well received by the German audience.
Twenty-eight years after its premiere, two soloists who originally performed the work in 1991, alto Claire Massa and tenor Joseph Aquilina will be performing the work for the second time, working together with soprano Rosabelle Bianchi, bass Albert Buttigieg and the St Monica Vocal Ensemble, under the baton of Mro Mark Agius.
The sacred orchestral work, set to the traditional Latin text, is specifically written for strings, woodwinds, French horns, harp, timpani and church organ, together with SATB choir and four main soloists.
Although the Requiem is a through-composed orchestral work, and is roughly around 97 minutes, it comprises 16 linked movements, namely Requiem, Dies Irae, Tuba Mirum, Liber Scriptus, Quid sum Miser, Rex Tremendae, Recordare, Ingemisco, Confutatis, Lacrymosa, Offertorio, Sanctus, Agnus Dei, Lux Aeterna, Libera Me and with an added movement Resurrectio et Vita, which is normally not found in standard Requiems.
Among his musical output, the Requiem is considered to be one of Sammut’s major orchestral works, exhibiting strong characteristics of the Verdian operatic style. The overall harmonic organisation of the work is reminiscent of the late 19th and early 20th-century style.
Sammut’s style of composition has led him to produce sublime lyrical melodic contours that are presented in the doubling of choir voices and woodwinds, a series of late 17th-century imitative counterpoint with homophonic traits in the choir and strings’ section, artistically fused with strong accentuated melodic passages by the French horns, which ultimately, leads the work into a dimension of sounds and textures.
In addition, Sammut’s extensive knowledge in compositional and orchestral techniques not only presents some demanding and challenging percussive rhythmic passages, but also incorporates delicate lyrical melodies merged against sudden dramatic changes of tempo and textures that accentuate the powerful emotions engendered by the text, attained continuously within each movement that are profoundly heard and artistically mastered throughout the work.
Overall, the Requiem is a majestic orchestral work which constantly maintains subtle and intricate melodies that also reflect the true Puccini’s emotional sensitivity.
The Requiem e Resurrectio et Vita will be held tomorrow at 7.30pm at the St Paul’s Metropolitan Cathedral in Mdina, with proceeds in aid of Id-Dar tal-Providenza. Tickets can be obtained from the Cathedral Booking Office – 2145 4697 – or from the orchestra management – 7995 0507 – or online at www.showshappening.com.