WATCH: Valletta’s Heavenly Concert Revisits One Of The Most Impressive Requiem Masses
Music wouldn’t be the wonder that it is today if it wasn’t for some of the key-players in the classical music scene – and this up-and-coming choir in Malta is paying tribute to these people by performing a whole array of cool classical tunes.
KorMalta, the island’s very own national choir, is an initiative founded by Arts Council Malta to provide professional training, perform dreamy musical numbers, and collaborate with some of the country’s biggest names in the music scene.
Despite being only a couple of years old, KorMalta has already blessed our theatres with a wide range of concerts.
Biber’s Requiem in F minor was a 2019/2020 project by KorMalta and ViBE (an initiative of Teatru Manoel) in collaboration with the Valletta Cultural Agency. This project provided a vehicle for training and collaboration for the KorMalta singers and the ViBE instrumentalists as well as the involvement of the Valletta community and was the first-ever collaboration between KorMalta and ViBE.
The performance fell on the feast of All Souls, an intrinsic part of the Maltese religious-cultural calendar. The performance was repeated as part of the Valletta Baroque Festival in January 2020 and this sealed the success of the KorMalta-ViBE collaboration.
From a choral Christmas concert last December, to a goosebump-inducing rendition of Biber’s Requiem in F, versatility is practically KorMalta’s second name.
And rest assured that any and all of this choir’s concerts are brought to life by some of the best names in the business.
KorMalta provides its choristers with masterclasses by both local and international tutors. For its launch concert in December 2018, for example, KorMalta’s choristers underwent training with none other than world-famous tenor Nicholas Mulroy.
Speaking of Requiem, KorMalta performed Biber’s Requiem in F Minor – that is, one of the most impressive settings of the Requiem Mass of the 17th century – and you can see it all for yourself digitally.
But before you rush into watching this quality concert, here’s some vital information about Biber’s Requiem.
Generally, a ‘requiem’ refers to a mass for the repose of the souls of the dead – in musical terms however, it refers to a composition aimed towards setting the tone for the aforementioned type of mass.
So next time you’re thinking of sitting through a requiem, get ready to experience some dark and intense music.
Biber’s Requiem in F Minor can be dated all the way back to 1692, however the exact reason why this piece of music was composed is still unknown – mysterious, right?
All throughout this piece, the dark key colour of F minor is brought to life by the instrumental scoring for two violins, three violas, basso continuo, and three trombones colla parte with the chorus.
Whilst the vividly detailed language of this requiem undoubtedly gave Biber’s music ample inspiration, the composition’s instrumentals manage to portray the feelings of mourning and lamenting perfectly.
Now we can go on about how beautiful Biber’s Requiem in F Minor is – but let’s face it, nothing compares to actually listening to it.
Interested in learning more about KorMalta? Check out this in-depth interview with the choir’s artistic director Riccardo Bianchi.