This year marks the first centenary of the death of one of Malta’s most outstanding composers of the early 20th century, Paolino Vassallo.
The son of two Maltese émigrées, Vassallo moved to Paris at the young age of 19 to pursue his musical studies. In the context of the then prevailing musical environment in Malta, which was dominated by the Italian operatic style, the choice of Paris was deemed to be a bold one.
He studied at the Conservatoire de Paris under world-class musicians, including Ernest Guiraud and Jules Massenet. To finance his studies, Vassallo joined the orchestra of the Opèra Comique as lead violinist; he subsequently acted as this orchestra’s musical director.
The Opèra Comique was set up to act as an alternative to the Italian operatic style. The Parisian years forged Vassallo’s musical style and, on his return to Malta, he disseminated this French-based style through the Istituto di Musica, which he set up in Valletta, and through his musical works.
In 1888, he was contacted by the impresario of the Royal Opera House to stage his opera Francesca da Rimini and it premiered on May 1, 1888. A revised version of this opera, under the name of Amor Fatale, was staged 10 years later, on May 3, 1898.
The latter version was a resounding success. La Gazetta di Malta reported that the premiere of Amor Fatale saw the theatre at its full capacity and that it was enthusiastically received by the audience. The opera was preceded by the premiere of another of Vassallo’s works, the overture Malta.
During the 1898 season, Ester Adaberto landed the role of Francesca, while Giuseppe Pagliano played the part of Paolo. Other members of the cast included Francesco Banini (Gianciotto), Anita Torretta (the mother) and Mario Spoto (il Genio del male). The opera was directed by Mro Arturo Bovio.
Vassallo’s second opera, the Frazir, premiered six years later, on March 15, 1905. With a libretto by Michelang Refalo, based on Ġużè Muscat Azzopardi’s novel Susanna, the four-act opera is set in 16th-century Malta. This is perhaps why this opera turned out to be the most loved by the Maltese audience. Their enthusiasm for this opera is reflected in the articles featured in newspapers of the time. The plot revolves around the vicissitudes of a young Maltese lady named Susanna during Dragut’s raid of 1551.
The Parisian years forged Vassallo’s musical style
During the opera season of 1905, impresario Emanuel Said staged the opera nine times, with the audience requesting a number of encores. The cast during the 1905 opera season included tenor Giovanni Vals as Frazir, Elisa Tromben as Susanna, Angelo De Laudadio as Matteo, Baldo Travaglini as Francesco and Adolfo Allegri as D’Adorno.
Vassallo’s third opera, Edith Cavell, was staged for the first time on March 21, 1927, four years after the composer’s demise.
The opera tells the story of Edith Louisa Cavell, a British nurse during World War I. In Brussels, Cavell set up the Berkendael Medical Institute, which treated wounded soldiers from both sides without discrimination and covertly helped some 200 Allied soldiers escape from German-occupied Belgium. Cavell’s story was exploited by the Allies’ propaganda machine, especially after she was executed by the Germans for her clandestine activities.
Inspired by the nurse’s story, Alfonso Giglio and Augusto German wrote the libretto on which Vassallo based his opera. Prior to being set to music, Italian composer Pietro Mascagni’s opinion was sought on the suitability of Giglio and German’s work for the opera libretto.
In the 1927 season, Edith Cavell was presented by an all-Italian cast with the main parts played by Emma Lattuada (as Edith Cavell) and tenor Giovanni Breviario (as Philippe Bancq). Other cast members included M. Marti Folgado (Von Flancken), Ines Guasconi (Charlotte Bonett), Enzo Feliciati (Rev. H. Gahan), Giorgio Schottler (president of the War Council), Giordano Callegari (the military court president), Nino Consoli (Signor Gonrad) and Gaetano Roveri (the jailer). The performances were directed by Arturo Sigismondo.
Vassallo’s operas and symphonic works spurred the local musical establishment to gradually depart from the anachronistic Italian operatic idiom and become more aligned with the prevailing musical currents across Europe.
On the first centenary of Vassallo’s death, the Malta Symphonic Band, under the direction of Gianpaolo Lazzeri, will be presenting a commemorative concert featuring some of Vassallo’s best oeuvres. The concert will be held at Cospicua’s collegiate church tomorrow, November 17, at 8pm. Patrons are asked to be seated by 7.45pm. Entrance is free.