This new concert series is dedicated to promoting the music of Maltese composers. In this recital, pianist Gisèle Grima performs Knejjes I by Alex Vella Gregory - a cycle of six pieces, each inspired by a different church in Valletta. Every church is portrayed not merely as a sacred architectural space, but as a convergence of stories that transcend place and time. Continuing with the theme of churches and bells, the programme also features Debussy’s La Cathédrale Engloutie, Ravel’s La Vallée des Cloches, and Liszt’s Les Cloches de Genève together with Consolations Nos. 1 and 3. Alongside the public recital, a specially curated interview with Vella Gregory delves into various aspects of his piano cycle Knejjes I. Professionally filmed and freely accessible, the interview aims to celebrate and preserve the legacy of Maltese composers.
Programme
Maurice Ravel La Vallée des Cloches (1905)
Claude Debussy La Cathédrale Engloutie (1908)
Alex Vella Gregory Knejjes I (2020 - 2011)
Pastorale / Pastoral – Church of St Francis of Assisi
Matins / Matutin – Church of St Lucy
Invention / Invenzjoni – Church of St James the Great
Nocturne / Notturn – Church of St Mary Magdalene
Villancico – Church of Our Lady of the Pillar
Caritas – Church of St Augustine
Franz Liszt Consolations No. 1 & No. 3 (1849 - 1850)
Franz Liszt Les Cloches de Genève (1850)
Credits
Gisèle Grima - piano
Programme Notes
La Cathédrale Engloutie (1908) - Claude Debussy
Claude Debussy’s La Cathédrale Engloutie evokes the legendary submerged cathedral of Ys, said to rise from the sea at dawn before slowly sinking back beneath the waves. Debussy translates this vision into sound through slowly shifting harmonies, parallel chords and modal inflections that blur traditional tonal boundaries. The piece opens in a distant, veiled sonority, suggesting the cathedral emerging through mist and water, its bells and organ faintly perceived. As the music grows, sonorous chordal writing and tolling bass notes create the impression of monumental stone and resonant bells heard at close range. The climactic central section suggests the full blaze of the cathedral’s organ and chanting, before the music gradually recedes, dissolving into the shimmering surface of the sea once more. In this work, Debussy fuses symbolist atmosphere, ancient legend and innovative harmonic language into a single, haunting musical tableau.
La Vallée des Cloches (1905) - Maurice Ravel
Ravel’s La Vallée des Cloches (The Valley of the Bells) closes his 1905 piano suite Miroirs with a sound-world of pure resonance and colour. Inspired by the overlapping chimes of church bells, the piece unfolds as a quiet meditation rather than a conventional melody-driven work. Delicately spaced chords, irregular bell strokes, and shimmering tremolos create an atmosphere of suspended time, as if the listener were hearing bells drifting across a hazy landscape. Ravel exploits the piano’s full range, from deep tolling sonorities to high, glassy overtones, inviting the ear to linger on decay, echo, and harmonic nuance. Dynamic extremes are rare; instead, the music inhabits a restrained, introspective mood, with its drama lying in subtle shifts of texture and colour.
Knejjes I (2020 - 2011) - Alex Vella Gregory
The piano cycle Knejjes / Churches (2010–2011) comprises 24 pieces inspired by 24 churches in Valletta, each church imagined not only as a sacred architectural space but as a crossroads of stories across time. Knejjes I, opens with Pastorale / Pastoral (Church of St Francis), recalling the church’s permanent Christmas crib and Franciscan devotion. Matins / Matutin (Church of St Lucy) suggests daybreak prayer, evoking St Lucy’s association with light. Invention / Invenzjoni (Church of St James) draws on Baroque counterpoint, mirroring the church’s rich “architectural polyphony.” Nocturne / Notturn (Church of St Mary Magdalene) conjures a stark night scene, alluding to the church’s troubled past. Villancico (Church of Our Lady of Pilar) introduces lively Spanish Baroque rhythms, reflecting the church’s historic Spanish ties. The final piece, Caritas / Love (Church of Saint Augustine), in Sonata - Allegro form, offers a musical meditation on Divine Love.
Consolations No. 1 & No. 3 (1849 - 1850) - Franz Liszt
Liszt’s six Consolations show the composer’s more intimate, poetic side rather than his famous virtuoso brilliance. Consolations No. 1 in E major unfolds as a calm, hymn-like meditation, its chorale-style writing and gentle harmonic turns suggesting quiet spiritual reflection. The music avoids overt drama, instead offering a sense of inward consolation, as if voiced in a private prayer. Consolation No. 3 in D‑flat major is the best-known of the set, a nocturne-like piece whose flowing, songful melody recalls the world of Chopin while remaining unmistakably Liszt. The right hand’s cantabile line floats over soft, arpeggiated accompaniment, creating an atmosphere of tenderness and nostalgic warmth. Subtle harmonic shifts and expressive climaxes give the piece its emotional arc, but it always returns to a mood of serene resignation. Heard together, Consolations Nos. 1 and 3 reveal Liszt as a master of lyrical simplicity and spiritual introspection.
Les Cloches de Genève (1850) - Franz Liszt
Les Cloches de Genève (The Bells of Geneva) is the contemplative closing piece of Liszt’s first Années de Pèlerinage, a collection reflecting his travels and inner life. Here Liszt turns away from dazzling virtuosity toward an atmosphere of poetic stillness, inspired by the distant chime of church bells over Lake Geneva at dusk. A gently rocking accompaniment suggests water and quiet motion, while bell-like figurations and luminous harmonies drift in and out of focus. The melody emerges almost out od an improvisation, more like a remembered song than a declaimed theme, and the dynamic curve remains largely restrained, favouring nuance over drama. Subtle shifts of harmony and colour create a sense of yearning and serene melancholy, as if time were suspended. In this intimate sound-world, Liszt offers a musical reverie rather than a narrative, inviting the listener into a private moment of reflection by the lakeside.
Biographies
Gisèle Grima
Gisèle Grima is a prize-winning Maltese pianist and music educator, recognised as one of the leading musicians of her generation. She has performed extensively in Malta and internationally, with appearances in Sicily, France, Berlin, the United Kingdom, and Finland. An active collaborative pianist, she has worked with artists including pianist Ardita Statovci, soprano Madison Montambault, actor Tama Matheson, and members of the Argotti Ensemble. She has performed Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G major and Bach’s Keyboard Concerto in F minor (BWV 1056) with the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra, and remains committed to four-hand repertoire and performance together with pianist Erika Gialanzè. Alongside her performance career, Gisèle is deeply committed to music education. She serves as a guest tutor with the Opera Nova Project and teaches across all age groups at St Michael’s School. Passionate about accessibility and creativity, she is dedicated to fostering a lifelong appreciation for music and the arts.
Alex Vella Gregory
Alex Vella Gregory is a Maltese composer, pianist and researcher whose work often explores narrative, community and Maltese identity. He studied piano with Paul Borg and Joanne Camilleri, later obtaining a Fellowship of the London College of Music in 2013. In 2002 he won the Ian Tomlin Napier/Malta Music Scholarship and went on to graduate with honours in composition from Edinburgh Napier University, where he also completed a PhD in Music Composition. His catalogue includes orchestral, choral, vocal, chamber and piano works, with performances in Malta and across Europe, as well as recordings on international labels such as Navona Records. Active in theatre and collaborative projects, he also serves as Artistic Director of Cappella Sanctae Catharinae and is involved in research on Maltese musical and cultural heritage. In collaboration with Malta Society of Arts
