Programme

Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (1525-1594)

SABBATO SANCTO

Sicut Cervus/Sitivit anima mea, a 4

DOMINICA RESURRECTIONIS

Missa Papae Marcelli, a 6: Kyrie - Gloria

SEQUENZA

Gregorian:  

Victimae Paschali laudes

G. P. da Palestrina: 

Missa Papae Marcelli, a 6: Credo

AD OFFERTORIUM:

Gregorian

Terra tremuit   

G. P. da Palestrina

Exsultate Deo, a 5                                         

S. Bonino (1582 - 1663)                     

Christus resurgens, a 3                                     

G.P. da Palestrina        

Missa Papae Marcelli, a 6 - Sanctus  

AD EVELATIONEM:

G.P. da Palestrina       

Coenantibus illis, a 5                                                                                                 

Missa Papae Marcelli, a 6: Agnus Dei I e II                                                                                    

AD COMMUNIONEM:

Gregorian                                         

Pascha nostrum                                   

C. Porta (1528 or 1529 – 19 May 1601)   

O sacrum convivium, a 4           

IN FINE MESSAE

Performers

KorMalta - Malta National Choir

Director: Riccardo Bianchi

Sopranos: Alexandra Camilleri Gambin (Voice Leader), Marouska Attard (Voice Leader), Marilyn Buckle Buhagiar, Carol Ciantar

Altos: Bianca Simone (Voice Leader), Egle Pranaityte, Haley Clark, Sarah De Bono, Helen Turner

Tenors: Jester Rosales (Voice Leader), Cesar Jesus Herrera, Dillon Camilleri, Adrian Sammut, Christian Tanti

Basses: Albert Buttigieg (Voice Leader), Masahiro Taniguchi, Mark Vassallo, Mark Bartolo

Programme Notes

KorMalta Commemorates Palestrina: A Musical Journey Through Easter Liturgy

KorMalta pays homage to Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina on the 500th anniversary of his birth with a concert celebrating his profound influence on sacred music. At the heart of the programme is the “Missa Papae Marcelli”, a masterpiece renowned for its transcendent beauty and liturgical significance. 

The performance unfolds as a liturgical journey, beginning with the solemnity of Holy Saturday and culminating in the radiant joy of Easter Sunday. Carefully curated Gregorian chants and motets by Palestrina and other composers of the Roman School seamlessly interweave, enriching the narrative of Christ’s passion, death, and resurrection. 

This unique interpretation emphasizes vocal unity, as the choir’s singers are blended across sections, eschewing traditional gender divides to create a harmonious and uniform timbre. This approach mirrors the timeless and inclusive spirit of Palestrina's music, allowing audiences to experience its ethereal quality anew. 

Join us for this profound tribute, where tradition and innovation converge, celebrating the legacy of one of history’s greatest composers and the enduring power of sacred choral music.

Biographies

KorMalta: Ensemble

KorMalta is the Maltese national choir, currently composed of 56 members and directed by its artistic and musical director, Riccardo Bianchi, assisted by Voice Leaders Marouska Attard, Albert Buttigieg, Alexandra Camilleri Gambin, Jester Rosales and Bianca Simone.

Since its inception in 2018, KorMalta has consistently worked towards professionalisation of choral singing, meeting even the most demanding and the widest type of choral repertoire: from a cappella polyphony to baroque, up to operatic symphonic productions. Besides its standing appointments with the Valletta International Baroque Festival the Malta International Spring Festival and Malta International Arts Festival and continuous collaboration with the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra, the choir has often been invited to perform abroad at prestigious festivals such as the Illica Festival, and orchestras like Orchestra Toscanini of Parma and Sinfonica Menotti in Milan, as well as in collaboration with several visual artists, actors and dancers, in an eclectic mix of innovative performances, due to its musical eclecticism and propensity to contribute to a multidisciplinary approach to the performing arts. These efforts altogether consistently allow KorMalta to develop its repertoire as well as its educational and outreach initiatives further through local and international tutoring and masterclasses.

Riccardo Bianchi : Musical & Artistic Director

Riccardo Bianchi, a choral and orchestral conductor from Varese Italy, currently resides in Malta, where he serves as the Artistic Director of KorMalta – Malta’s National Choir since its founding. He is also the conductor of the Sacro Monte Orchestra of Varese since 2016.

Riccardo Bianchi holds diplomas in Vocal Music and Choral Conducting as well as Orchestral Conducting, with advanced degrees in Contemporary Music and Renaissance Music. He was awarded the “Diploma di Merito” in polyphony by the Chigiana Academy in Siena. Additionally, he graduated with honours in Philosophy. 

As an orchestral conductor, Riccardo has led esteemed ensembles such as the Toscanini Orchestra of Parma, the Orchestra Filarmonica Italiana, the London Classical Soloists, the Pomeriggi Musicali Orchestra of Milan, the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra, the Friuli Venezia Giulia Orchestra, the Virtuosi Brunensis, the Sinfonica Menotti of Milan, the Bacau State Philharmonic, and the State Hermitage Orchestra of St. Petersburg. 

He fondly and gratefully remembers his mentors Guido Donati, Vivien Bernasconi, Pippo Molino, Dario Tabbia, Antonino Fogliani, Gianluigi Gelmetti, Roberto Gabbiani, and Diego Fratelli, cherishing their guidance as a student and their friendship as a colleague.