This is Puccini year. The first centenary of his death is being commemorated in both Malta and Gozo with concerts, operas and lectures. While waiting for the production of Il Trittico at the Aurora Theatre in Gozo yesterday the Jesuits Foundation inaugurated the third season of their music programme with an operatic recital by soprano Miriam Cauchi very ably accompanied on the piano by Maria Elena Farrugia of mostly arais from the operas of this much-loved composer.

Miriam Cauchi needs no introduction. She is definitely one of our finest sopranos. Her voice has reached the peak of its maturity. She is a natural Puccini soprano. Her programme was taxing but her singing was absolutely effortless througout, hitting the high notes right on the mark and keeping throughout a secure and expressive musical line. Her interpretation, also projected by her restrained but at the same time eloquent body language, brought out the characters of Puccini’s heroines even in a recital of arias from different operas. Her programme included most of the gems that are found in his various operas from the earliest to the latest, and, though not chronologically, she succeeded in tracing the evolution of Puccini’s operatic art in his musical depiction of his passionate heroines.

Ms Cauchi started off with three highlights from La Boheme taken from different parts of the opera. These she strung together, thus placing them in a context. In a concert of Puccini’s soprano arias it is easly for the performer to indulge in projecting strong feeligs. This singer’s rendering of the next aria, Come voi piccina from Puccini’s first opera, Le Willi, was very expresseive and revealed a passion that was, however, kept under control. From the first opera to his last one, Turandot with the passionate Signore ascolta and the plaintive Tu che di gel sei cinta that struck an emotional but not sentimental note.

An aria from Catalani’s opera La Wally, Ebben ne andro lontano completed the vocal part of the programme. Apart from accompanying the singer pianist Maria Elena Farrugia performed piano versions of intermezzos from three operas: Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana, Puccini’s Suor Angelica and Giordano’s Fedora. While the piano rendering of the orchestral score works well when accompanying the singers, a piano rendering of a score that was specifically written for the unaccompanied orchestra suffers when it loses the variety of colours provided by the different instruments of the orchestra. This was particularly felt in the Mascagni intermezzo which lost the jewel-like richness of colour provided by the orchestra, but as programme fillers and to give a respite to the singer they worked well.

Season Opening Concert: Puccini Anniversary
— Cecilia Xuereb

11 October 2024

 

HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL PREMIERE of JOSEPH VELLA'S UNIQUE OPERA
VALERIANA: THE TITAN'S ROCK OP. 155 (posth.)

ROSARIO .... tenor ANDRÈS GARCÍA MORENO
TERESA .... soprano MIRIAM CAUCHI
CIRILLO .... baritone LOUIS ANDREW CASSAR
IL PROFESSORE .... bass NOEL GALEA
MATTEO .... tenor BRIAN CEFAI
NELLO .... voce bianca ILYA IGES SULTANA
SENZ SAL .... baritone PAU ARMENGOL

FILIPPA .... mezzo-soprano MARVIC MONREAL
BLACKSHIRT .... baritone JAMES AGIUS

CHORUS MISTRESS .... MARIELLA SPITERI CEFAI
PICCOLE STELLE .... dir. SYLVANA CINI
ONSTAGE BAND .... dir. GEORGE APAP

LIBRETTO .... VINCENT VELLA
STAGE DIRECTOR .... DENISE MULHOLLAND
COSTUMES .... LUKE AZZOPARDI
STAGE DESIGN .... ANTHONY BONNICI
VIDEO ARTIST .... ANTHONY MIZZI
ARTISTIC CO-ORDINATOR .... TATJANA LISNIC

THE MALTA PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA
LEADER .... MARCELLINE AGIUS
CONDUCTOR .... CHRISTOPHER MUSCAT

FESTIVALS MALTA at TEATRU ASTRA
VICTORIA, GOZO.

The late and still much lamented Joseph Vella left his only opera project half-finished when he suddenly died in February 2018. He had composed the first two acts and left notes regarding the remaining two. With the full collaboration of the composer's widow and two sons, the task of completing the opera was entrusted to Christopher Muscat. The latter gentleman is one of Vella's former students and is composer as well as orchestra and choral director. It was the right thing to do when Christopher Muscat also took on the musical direction of the opera he completed.

Teatru Astra is intimately connected with Joseph Vella's career. Many of his works have been performed there and he conducted as bandmaster of La Stella Band, concerts as well as symphonic concerts and a few dozen operas until October 2017.

I have no idea how soon he got acquainted with Vincent Vella's award winning story (2007). During his very energetic career he composed works in every genre except opera. Alas! The inspiration he waited for came at a late stage.

The story is a good one and Valeriana, this imaginary small island somewhere off the Italian mainland could be anywhere in the Mediterranean Sea. It could even be another Malta (maybe less crammed) or Gozo.

Set in 1943 from a little before Mussolini's fall, the island population is reduced to women, elderly men and children as able-bodied men are absent fighting a losing war. A few of the younger ones who remain are the black-shirted thugs who bully the islanders. They are under the command of Cirillo, the psychologically challenged, sadistic bully and "Podestà" of the island. He has more than a chip on his shoulders. He is sinister, menacing and cruel and like all bullies comes to a sticky end . Louis Andrew Cassar was so very, very good at being so very, very bad! A fine and convincing singing-actor. His evil could be felt before his first appearance on stage.

One gauges the situation via other characters and thus it begins with Filippa, the black-clad elderly, wise, strong and compassionate woman. This was a superb interpretation by Marvic Monreal who was made up to look the part which practically rendered her quite unrecognisable. Hers was the first inkling of what proved to be a very strong cast.

It was soon revealed with the splendid Mexican tenor Andrés García Moreno as Rosario. He is a Maltese fisherman who years earlier was blown off course by a storm onto the island. As holder of a (confiscated) British passport he is closely watched by the Fascists. Rosario is brave and defiant, speaks his mind. Much worried for him is his local wife Teresa (soprano Miriam Cauchi). She was another pillar of the cast. On top form dealing well with some passage with a high tessitura. She fears for Rosario who remains defiant, is badly mauled by the black-shirted "squadristi" and taken to prison. Other characters who made their own mark were Brian Cefai who is a sensible, elderly civil servant and still fresh voiced. The Catalan baritone Pau Armengol is the rather laid back elderly baker Senz sal, a friend of Rosario's who fulfilled his role very well. So did the confident youngster Ilya Iges Sultana as Nello, the only child of Rosario and Teresa.

James Bernard Agius was the nameless Blackshirt. A typical automaton of a bully who does his tinpot despotic master's dirty work for him. Later he is reduced to a cringing coward as all bullies are at heart when the tables are turned. A very significant role is that of il Professore, the wise, sensible and philosophic teacher. It was performed by bass Noel Galea with a dignified commanding mien. Close to the end of the opera, Rosario echoes a timeless truth. When the hated Cirillo perishes in what seems to be suicide he says that the man was beyond human judgement. The thirst for vengeance is strong but it creates lingering bitterness. Forgiveness is hard but why does rekindling peace have to come at a very terrible cost? It sounds very familiar.

The strong team work behind this premiere gave results. The music is beautiful and one particularly fine episode was the orchestral introduction to Act 3. Stage direction was smooth and slick with the crowd scenes very well-handled. The adult chorus and the children acted and sang their parts very well. The on-stage band provided a touch of colour and brio as well as the necessary gravitas at more sober moments. Luke Azzopardi's costumes added an authentic touch of the mid-1940s and so did the hair-do of the ladies.

Anthony Bonnici's simple virtually uncluttered set combined with Anthony Mizzi's video artwork, produced the right atmosphere as to what was going around the scene. Even the Allied aircraft flying above the island but not stopping to liberate the harassed islanders accentuated their frustration with Cirillo's oppression.

The MPO performed brilliantly and one felt that this was a labour of love for Christopher Muscat who had a great double job to accomplish, and very well he did it. A very touching moment was when a well-known photo of Joseph Vella was projected on to one of the lateral screens on stage.

Bouquets of flowers were presented to the singers on stage while others were presented to a clearly moved Mrs. Nathalie Vella who was sitting in the front row of the opera house.

Quo vadis Valeriana? Will it ever be performed again? Could it make its way into the vast Anglo-Saxon speaking world or will it be archived? I wish it could but only time will tell.

— Albert G Storace

11 May 2024

 

Was it going to be his masterpiece? One thing is sure about the music of Joseph Vella is that whatever he wrote in his last phase had to be innovative. While remaining forever respectul of the past he was forever exploring new ways of transferring his ideas into sound and Valeriana, the opera that unfortunately he had no time to complete is the product of this. The music to Vincent Vella’s libretto is no bel canto or realismo opera, nowhere near the traditional music drama, but a completely different conception of how words and music can combine to express the dramatic vicissitudes of a group of islanders under the yoke of the Italian fascist regime. Already in 2016 Joe Vella Bondin had expressed in his book The Great Maltese Composers: “his music is not the happy combination of good melody and satisfying harmony that is easy on the ear in a way that may readily move human emotions, but rather is predominantly concerned with probing and asking troubled questions about man and his destiny.”

Joseph Vella had long been nurturing the desire to write an opera. His main problem was finding a libretto that had a theme with a wide significance and above all, he once told me, it should not be local or nationalistic. And in Vince Vella’s play Valeriana, he seems to have found what he was looking for. For Valeriana is indeed an Italian island (fictitious) in the Mediterranean under fascist rule in 1943, but it could be any state that has been subjugated by a damaged figure who has made himself powerful by emnulating his master, a highly dangerous dictator.

The libretto started its life as a play which the author adapted, following discussions with the composer/s and in a number of ways the plot can be viewed as a moral story about vengeance as opposed to justice, the power of love, the desire for freedom, the fall of tyrants: even the boat people and child bullies make an appearance in the picture of the crew of a British naval ship that is hit by a bomb that are allowed to drown rather than be saved by the good feelings of Rosario, the protagonist, and in the short scene between Nello and the other children respectively. Unlike any other opera written by a Maltese composer it is in English and it is in prose. These were problems that Vella overcame in his vocal lines by frequent shifts in the time-signature and following the tonality and inflexion of the English language – devices that were also used by Christopher MCaroline Muscatwho wrote the last two acts of the opera.

A short overture sets a sombre mood emphasised by projections which show, among other things, the figure of Mussolini, Cirillo’s (the villain’s) hero. This is followed by Filippa’s lament, beautifully sung here as elsewhere by mezzo-soprano Marvic Monreal. The entry of Cirillo (baritone Louis Andrew Cassar in one of his best performances ever) is accompanied by denser music. But Filippa and the villagers, in spite of everything they are going through, know that things will work out for them and for Valeriana.

It is not possible here to go into detail about Muscat’s orchestration (Vella had only completed a vocal and piano score) except to say that the overall effect was rich and enhanced Vella’s vocal lines, particularly in Muscat’s use of the different sections of the orchestra. The music flowed in a continuous line, one section merging into the other, in which tunes emerge. Clashing harmonies introduce Act 2 in which there is a sustained ironical streak in the treatment of the fascist regime – the villagers who are forced to ‘act’ as soldiers, the bombast of the sinister Cirillo, which is also expressed through a very brief quotation of Giovinezza, an Italian fascist hymn. The celebration of the feast of Our Lady of the Sea at the end of this act serves as a relief from the darkness of the preceding scene in which the dead sailors are brought to land, a contrast effectively expressed both by the music and by the production.

Where are the arias, many people were asking during the interval at the end of the second act. But this is not an opera of arias. It is an opera that narrates: singers and orchestra move together to relate the anger, the despair, the hope, the human solidarity of the persons who really make up the island and who are the real protagonists of the opera.

The hand of a different composer was felt immediately with the opening of Act 3. When I asked Christopher Muscat how he had dealt with the problem of finishing off somebody else’s work, Christopher told me: I in no way tried to imitate Vella’s style, I have my own, but I think that I have written something that sits well with Vella’s music. And he certainly has. For though from now onwards the music was different it in no way gave the feeling that it was not right. I think that one of the main reasons for this must have been the orchestration that retained the same features as those used for the first two acts.

Cold harmonics on the violins open Act 3 but this is followed by a lyrical theme on the clarinet that is picked up by Rosario. This part performed by tenor Andrés Moreno García whose fine acting complemented his fine voice brings him out as close to a hero as it gets. The vocal line becomes more melodious in Acts 3 and 4 and each one of the principals gets his/her aria. Soprano Miriam Cauchi the female element in the romantic subplot gets her aria in the second scene of the act. From the very beginning of the opera it was clear that Vella wrote this role for a dramatic soprano, and Cauchi fitted into the role very well singing with her usual expressive security. The music keeps rising and falling according to the mood of the script, building up to climaxes which give way to less emphatic sections.

Act 4 starts with a fanfare for the brass section. The regime has been toppled and the islanders are jubilant. A tarantella rhythm accompanies the celebrations. At this point the mezzo gets her aria while the tarantella rhythm continues in the orchestra. The music becomes more sinister as Il Professore (another beautiful performance by bass Noel Galea) persuades Rosario not to take the law in his hands. A cynical Cirillo, who in the words of the Professore, is “proud and no coward”, agrees that as a show of goodwill he will direct the removal of the mines that he had laid on the beach. In this scene the music climaxes when Cirillo explodes himself while removing the last one of the mines in order to avoid being tried. But the opera does not end here. This is followed by a funeral march and by a quartet expressing reconciliation before Rosario’s final ‘aria’ ending with the question: does understanding have to come at such a terrible cost?

The production was blessed with beautiful singers all round. Soprano Miriam Cauchi, mezzo Marvic Monreal, principal tenor Andrés Moreno García, baritone Lewis Andrew Cassar, bass Noel Galea, tenor Brian Cefai who made a very welcome come-back to the operatic stage after some time, bass Pau Armengol, and James Bernard Agius in a minor role of a blackshirt. Moreover not only could they sing but they could also act. An adult choir directed by Mariella Spiteri Cefai and a children’s choir directed by Sylvana Cini were spot on the mark. Special mention must go to young Ilyas Ige Sultana for his excellent performance as Nello, Rosario’s and Teresa’s son.

But the success of the production also depended very much on the direction of Denise Mulholland. She enhanced her minimalist stage set of a rock (the Titan’s rock) with projections, the creations of video artist Anthony Mizzi, some of which were realistic while others were mood setting, her sense of colour ands her lighting design. The big Astra stage allowed her to work very well both in the dialogue scenes and in the crowd scenes. Luke Azzopardi’s costumes, most of them low key, showed how even simple costumes and muted colours, especially black and white, can look attractive and contribute to the overall effect. One little comment – perhaps Teresa’s costumes in Acts 3 and 4 were a little too sophisticated for the wife of a fisherman who on top of it all was not working.

This was a Festivals Malta production in collaboration with the Teatru Astra.

Valeriana Review
— Cecilia Xuereb

6 May 2024

 

It was a real joy to listen to soprano Miriam Cauchi during last Sunday morning’s concert at the Robert Samut Hall organised by the MPO. The greater part of her programme was made up of songs written by three major Russian composers of the late 19th/20th centuries which were in stark contrast to her opening pieces. Antonin Dvorak's set of Gypsy Songs. All these proved to be excellent choices for voice that has a golden sunny timbre - strong and clear throughout its wide range of tonality and dynamics with never a technical or musical hitch.

Dvorak's Gypsy songs are character pieces that speak about love, sorrow and freedom. Unfortunately here, as in the rest of the vocal part of the programme, it was not possible to follow the lyrics since they were in a language that I did not understand at all, but this did not matter much since it allowed me to concentrate on the music which with its strong rhythms and often rhapsodic characters is very explicit. It brings out, even in the quieter moments, the fiery nature of these people who are popularly considered to be rebels against the constraints put upon them by society. And in Miriam Cauchi and four pianist Maria Elena Farrugia they found excellent ambassadors. From Czechoslovakia singer and pianist moved on to Russia with two songs by Rimsky-Korsakaove and four songs by Rachmaninoff. Here we were more in the nature of sound pictures painting scenes while also projecting the emotions of the composer and they lyricist. Rimsky-Korsakov's The clouds begin to scatter that is subtitled "Elegy", is a melancholic piece to a text by Pushkin describing the evening star appearing from behind the thinning clouds. Oh Never Sing to Me Again is more sentimental in character. Rachmaninoff's songs are even more lyrical and emotional in nature. These included the very popular Spring Waters with the piano describing cascading water and the voice reflecting. I should think, on the reawakening of nature in spring. A Dream seethed with nostalgia and there was real pain in Oh Never Sing To Me Again.

— Cecilia Xuereb

6 March 2024

 

Richard Strauß's Op . 68 Miriam Cauchi sang clearly and with pretty good diction. It was a good idea that the text of each piece was projected on the cyclorama at the back of the stage rather the space where the over-titles are normally projected. The singer's expressive voice and the complex piano part enabled the two partners to give life to the words. In An die Nacht there was a dramatic climax in this song not devoid of a certain amount of stress and anguish and invocation to Bielbog, the ancient god of (supposed) auspicious fate.

Ich wollt'ein Sträußlein (I meant to make you a posy) is the cycle's shortest Lied. Lighter in tone but very compact it was expressively rendered. It was well-projected as a case of good intentions ending in the girl's disappointment. Soprano and pianist rendered the lullaby Säusle, liebe Myrthel as an ode to nature. It was followed by the most dramatic of the cycle up to that point, in which the soprano tackled with well-crafted momentum some of the most difficult bars.

There is an admonitory quality to Amor, the penultimate Lied because of Cupid's mischief- making but at the same with a touch of tolerant admiration. Lied der Frauen, last and longest of the cycle was aptly rendered as a cry of anguish of women's fears and torments. Fear for the lives of their men at the mercy of raging storms at sea; of death on the battlefield or being engulfed by the earth in collapsed mine-pits. Needless to say the voice and the piano evoked all this in what I hope will be a long musical partnership.

An evening with Richard Strauss, Teatru Manoel
— Albert Storace

7 January 2021

 

Violetta must be considered as one of Verdi’s pet creations because he bestows so much on her but also exacts a lot from her.

Not only does the role present an enormous emotional challenge but also a technical one especially from what is expected in the first scene and what goes on in the rest of the opera.

Miriam Cauchi seemed to live her part very well. She went from a frivolous, little courtesan (Brindisi) to a woman with real feelings in the duet Un dì felice and her great monologue È strano... Sempre libera. Her love had to be sacrificed because of hypocritical social convention and without any sugary exaggeration Violetta’ farewell to Alfredo, Amami Alfredo, was simply heart-rending.

Hurt and humiliation was touching in ACT II in the great concertato, as was the Violetta desperately hoping for a cure, to live her love, in vain.

La Traviata, Astra Theatre
— Albert Storace, The Sunday Times of Malta

13 January 2019

 

The following work performed was Richard Strauss’ iconic Four Last Songs so beautifully interpreted by soprano Miriam Cauchi. A veritable tour de force this is a make or break work, making huge demands on both orchestra and singer – technically and dynamically. Soaring heights and plunging depths are the rule of thumb and it takes both technical aptitude and emotional maturity to carry it off.

While other composers tortured themselves with the problems of life and death, Richard Strauss freed himself from all mystic and metaphysical ties and proceeded to utilise everything the century had produced in a technical synthesis, thus becoming the greatest virtuoso and technician of the declining century. With Vier letzte Lieder, the quality of time changes: music expresses the feelings caused by a stroke of fate, awakened by certain experiences, for feelings are the sum total of man’s life. Yet, for Strauss, man’s multifarious feelings lend themselves to few typical formulations. If the tremendous power of the first song, Frühling (Spring), is that it is able to convey the idea of all things, unrestricted by the images to which all the other arts are bound, it is conversely true that it is not within its power to transform the idea into a concrete and comprehensible phenomenon. Miriam Cauchi took to this work like a fish to water. She engaged with it impressively, infusing it with the perfect does of emotion yet always couched within the framework of a clarity of thought so relevant to Strauss.

— VIAF

2018

 

Soprano Miriam Cauchi as the loveble Mimi, gathered momentum in vocal prowess. She has indeed come a long way from her debut at the Astra as Oscar in Verdi’s Un ballo in Maschera (2002)

La Bohème
— Albert Storace, The Sunday Times of Malta

15 November 2015

 

Vella is no newcomer to writing art songs and listening to soprano Miriam Cauchi’s interpretation of this cycle’s premiere was a touching and revealing experience. Her masterly way was of expressing each nuance was admirable. Technical diffiuclties there were many, yet they were surmounted since this cycle was expressly written for her.

Dust on the Path - Joseph Vella orchestral cycle premier, Victoria International Arts Festival
— Albert Storace, The Times of Malta

17 June 2015

 

The second half of the programme saw Vella Gregory and soprano Miriam Cauchi in what promised to be a very powerful collaboration. Mill-Qamar sal-Qabar is a song cycle of eight songs based on different Maltese literary texts from the Arab Period till World War 2.

It is the idea of Maltese identity and its development that Vella Gregory chooses to focus on here. The cycle contains much depth in its correlation to the text and shows signs of a more cultivated musical style that Vella Gregory embarks on. With her impressively well-articulated diction and rich sounding voice, Cauchi delivered the opening song, It-Talba ta’ Majmuna, with a captivating and impassioned sense of musicality.

Her ability to immerse herself holistically in each song was exceptional and she also had a supportive and well-written piano part to enhance this. Mejju Ġie bil-Ward u Żahar stood out in its contrasting moods of penchant harmonies and whimsical moments.

The attention to detail in the musical content was apparent in the manner in which certain words or phrases were coloured. The sixth song, Għanijiet, was the climatic number of the entire cycle, with its big pounding chords and rippling accompaniment heard against soaring vocal lines that were nothing short of overwhelming.

The cycle comes to a close on a more reflective note with a rendition of Manwel Dimech’s X’Għandu Jaħseb Kulħadd. The piano accompaniment was integral to the contextual understanding of the poems and very often had the last say.

Mill-Qamar sal-Qabar - Alex Vella Gregory premier
— Gisele Grima, The Times of Malta

22 March 2015

 

...Soprano Miriam Cauchi was on the best of form, hers being the first vocal contribution to the concert when she sang the Ave Maria from Verdi’s Otello. This was a heartfelt interpretation, the voice crystal clear and soaring easily and without effort underlined by the delicate playing of the strings. This created the rightly fervid and intensely devotional aspects of the prayer. In another Ave Maria, the much earlier one by Caccini (arr. Christopher Muscat), she maintained the same feeling although the context is a different one to the Verdi. Just beautiful, bless her! The singer was equally well-equipped technically and musically, for the Jenkins Gloria – I’ll make music which was proof of the ease the singer changes idiom and produces equally convincing results

— Albert Storace, The Times of Malta

20 April 2011

 

Iniziando dalla titolare Miriam Cauchi, soprano lirico di bello spessore vocale e di grande intensità espressiva, che ha tracciato una palpitante Violetta

— Andrea Merli Jesse, Opera Actual

January 2011

 

MIRIAM CAUCHI ([who] has nothing to do with Miriam Gauci) was a fragile Violetta, who mastered the first act with some heart palpitations. She was vocally and dramatically convincing, especially when portraying a heartbreaking final scene.

— Eva Pleus, der Merker

November 2010

 

Jgħidu li biex tinterpreta dan il-personaġġ jeħtieġu tliet sopranos - coloratura għall-ewwel att, soprano lirika- spinta għat-tieni wieħed u soprano drammatika għall-aħħar att. Naturalment, dan ma jistax iseħħ fir-realta u għalhekk is-soprano li tintagħżel għal dan ir-rwol jeħtieġ li tikkombinahom kollha fl-interpretazzjoni tagħha. Miriam Cauchi, is-sopran brava Maltija magħżula għal din ir-rapreżentazzjoni ssodisfat bis-sħiħ lill-udjenza numeruża li attendiet is-Sibt, 30 ta’ Ottubru, meta mort jien fit-Teatru Astra f'Għawdex. Miriam hi mhux biss soprano brava vokalment u mużikalment imma hi attriċi tajba wkoll u espremiet ħafna sentimenti u emozzjonijiet – mill-ferħ bla rażan sa disperazzjoni, minn kalma sa passjoni qalila. Kien sabiħ ir-reġistru baxx waqt li n-noti għoljin kienu ċari kristall. Hi ħarġet bl-aqwa mod il-lat traġiku tal-istorja, partikolarment fit-tieni att, li lili għoġbitni ħafna.

— Joyce Guillaumier, it-Torca

14 November 2010

 

Miriam Cauchi’s moving performance as Gilda, was this year eclipsed by a Violetta who almost reached Sutherlandian heights. She was superb throughout; expressive and dramatically faultless ... a lady whom I consider to be one of our finest and most accomplished singers today.

— Kenneth Zammit Tabona, The Sunday Times of Malta

7 November 2010

 

Soprano Miriam Cauchi in the title role was brilliant. She is a firmly established singing actress of the first order and in the role she made a smooth psychological transition from the flippant and frivolous courtesan to a woman genuinely in love and who for that very love sacrifices herself unconditionally. She was the ideal Violetta who moves one to tears as in her heart rendering “Amami Alfredo”, in her long scene with her Nemesis, Giorgio Germont in Act II and later in the act’s second scene with its great dramatic climax and her pathetic plea to the callous Alfredo, and right through the last act with the continuous ebb and flow of hope and despair. Her love duets with Alfredo were lovely and her great aria, "E strano ... follie, follie!" She rose to great heights of vocal prowess and conveying of conflicting feelings pulling her apart.

— Albert Storace, The Times of Malta

3 November 2010

 

Somehow, I always associate these songs with more Wagnerian type of a soprano, a Schwarzkopf, a Nilsson or a Norman, and when I saw Miriam Cauchi come out on stage, a relatively wisp of a girl I wondered how she was going to tackle these four huge works whose melodic lines and meander vocally and orchestrally through almost superhumanly devised progressions.

Long drawn notes dominate this incredibly beautiful work which Ms Cauchi tackled with aplomb and let me hasten to add, great success. When a singer like Ms Cauchi can master Gilda, De Falla and now Strauss, then she is a performer not to be sneezed at and one seriously wonders why her appearances on Malta stages are so rare ... Miriam Cauchi’s voice is a rich one; almost a mezzo. As it soared above those great waves of Strauss’s delectable orchestration, shimmering sinuously in the sunset of the composer’s creativity.

Vier letzte Lieder - Strauss
— Kenneth Zammit Tabona, The Sunday Times of Malta

14 February 2010

 

The four exquisite Four Last songs by Richard Strauss have tended mainly to be the domain of sopranos of the more dramatic type, even if not specifically meant for them. Miriam Cauchi’s more lyrical type of voice proved well-suited to this apparent swan song of a cycle. The subtle intensity of the orchestral part, weather alone in the preludes and postludes, or in the ensemble with the voice, created a blend with the latter which conveyed the meaning of the text pretty admirably. It is not easy for the non-German to sing in that language but from what I heard the soprano’s diction has improved greatly since her last foray in the field. The warmth and mellowness as well as the powerful out-pouring came forth naturally and with ease and no effort at all. The atmosphere of each song was projected very well and the serenity therein far from being inspired by the resignation seemed to be a temporary reflections in preparation for the journey beyond into another dimension.

Vier letzte Lieder - Strauss
— Albert Storace, The Times of Malta

10 February 2010

 

It was the Gozitan Soprano Miriam Cauchi’s superb interpretation of Caro nome that stole the show. What a lovely voice this soprano is blessed with and with what superb mastery, is it used. The great pathos that is synonymous with Gilda’s character, the young girl in love for the first time, the betrayal and violated women and the child unable to live for another woman with her infatuation was brought out beautifully by Cauchi. Her voice soared and dived like velvet gossamer through the most pyrotechnical coloratura to the most plaintive of diminuendos. What sheer delight.

— Kenneth Zammit Tabona, The Sunday Times of Malta

9 November 2009

 

At the end of the day it was to be a triumph for soprano Miriam Cauchi in the leading role of Gilda. She has developed star quality. Singing effortlessly, hers was a fine Gilda, torn between love for a feckless unworthy man and devotion and loyalty to her father. Her acting complimented her singing; she moved with confidence with the appropriately strange mix of demureness and obstinate, generous determination required of her role.

— The Times of Malta

4 November 2009

 

Miriam Cauchi (Gilda) ha dato ampia dimostrazione di possedere una duttilità vocale ed un indirizzo tecnico quasi prodigioso. La vocalità sempre attenta e misurata, una omogeneità dei “registri” ed una interpretazione veramente convincente. Piani e acuti filati (Caro nome..) e tante altre raffinatezze. Prestazione sicuramente sopra le righe.

— Massimiliano Pulvano Guelfi, Corriere del Teatro

29 October 2009

 

Ms Cauchi is a very fine singer indeed, having at her command a voice with a wide range. She controls it most admirably combining technique and effect with deep musicality and very convincing interpretation of the lyrics ... besides doing pretty well singing in English, Czech, Maltese, Russian and Portuguese! ... Mro Vella specifically wrote this cycle Kant ta’ Mara Op.112 for Ms Cauchi and for her particular vocal capabilities. This is a very powerful creation and its dedicatee did it justice ... In the Bachianas No.5 soprano Ms Cauchi vocalized beautifully then sang the Aria (Cantilena) which was deeply reflective and soulful as the Danca (Martelo) was carefree and full of joie-de-vivre. The solo encore was Vella’s Tahnina, a lullaby for soprano, cello and piano which brought to an end a truly very enjoyable evening.

A great touch of Nostalgia
— The Times of Malta

6 June 2009

 

Ms Cauchi is currently our leading lirico spinto soprano. Her rich-toned voice has reached the peak of its maturity – its timbre is luscious and her technique is completely natural and fluent, effortless, effectionate, and very effective.

Ms Cauchi’s repertoire includes most of the great operatic arias written for her voice range. But her ability to give each word she sings its precise meaning extends her repertoire to work where music and words meet most effectively – song to which she gives the vitality that results from the full identification with the text.

Nostalgia - Chamber music recital
— Cecilia Xuereb, The Sunday Times of Malta

24 May 2009

 

Miriam Cauchi delivered a healty glowing tone, powerful but controlled, perfectly pitched in the difficult Inflammatus et Accentus that she sang with the choir. Her duet with mezzo-soprano Claire Mass, Quis est homo, was beautifully delivered.

Stabat Mater (Rossini)
— Cecilia Xuereb, The Sunday Times of Malta

12 April 2009

 

During the first performance on Thursday Cauchi ‘s lustrous voice, exquisitely controlled was at its best in the last act when she spoke of her love for Calaf. Warm and vulnerable, she was a perfect foil for the cold and powerful Turandot. Her death is set to a march, grave and dignified. It is music Liù deserves and that Cauchi sang with heartful pathos.

Turandot (Puccini)
— Cecilia Xuereb, The Sunday Times of Malta

2 November 2008

 

One most congratulate soprano Miriam Cauchi’s excellent all-round interpretation of the slave-girl, a role the accomplished projection of which never fails to win the public’s hearts and this Ms Cauchi achieved with great credit.

Turandot (Puccini)
— Albert Storace, The Times Weekender

1 November 2008

 

Miss Cauchi’s voice has acquired a warm mellowness and flexibility that allows her to express a gamut of emotions.

— Cecilia Xuereb, The Sunday Times of Malta

29 July 2007

 

Ms Cauchi has developed into a shining star in the Maltese vocal firmament ... Ms Cauchi was brilliant in the not so well-known but extremely exciting early Verdi Non so le tetre imagine from Il Corsaro. Previously displayed control, technique, forceful interpretation and musicality came to even fuller fruition, complete with the deftly handled coloratura passages. Just as spell-bounding was Regnava nel silenzio form Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor. It was really exciting and after all that bel canto and concluding vocal pyrotechnics she changed tack and gave an exquisite rendering of Io son l’umile ancella from Cilea’s Andriana Lecouvreur.

— The Times Weekender

28 July 2007

 

Cauchi was excellent in the role. Her rich clear voice easily surmounted the difficulties presented by the core and she brought finesse and insight to the part. Her rich Italianate voice was a contrast to Boteva’s dark and sultry mezzo. The contrast between the two characters in the scene that constitutes the central part of the drama was both musical and dramatic. Angelica’s suicide scene, and her realizations that she is damned, which constitutes the denouement of the drama, was extremely moving both vocally and dramatically ... Cauchi brought the subtleties of the colour in the score.

— Weekender, The Sunday Times of Malta

5 November 2006

 

The performance, was in my opinion, little more that a showpiece for Miriam Cauchi who acquitted herself beautifully in this very difficult role (Suor Angelica). Her “Senza mamma” was as tear-jerking as it could have been while the realization of the enormity of her suicide was sung and performed with the effect of a seasoned actress who knows just how to play on her audience’s emotions...We found Miriam Cauchi as Nedda, a role that is diametrically opposed to that of Suor Angelica, not only dramatically but vocally too. Because of this, if one had to enumerate the plus points of the evening, the two excellent Miriam Cauchi performances must definitely rank first. Warm, velvety but immensely strong when requited, Ms Cauchi’s voice was full of expression and colour and projected dramatic nuances that the two ever-so-differend roles demanded.

— The Times of Malta

4 November 2006

 

The Coronation Mass ended with the ethereal Agnus Dei in which once again the spotlight was on soprano Miriam Cauchi: a fine conclusion to an enjoyable tribute concert.

Coronation Mass (Mozart)
— Lifestyle The Times of Malta

4 February 2006

 

Ms Cauchi’s voice soared beautifully and without effort, constantly maintaining clarity and intonation. Whether solo or in ensemble she maintained this consistently high level of performance and interpretation.

— The Times Weekender
Requiem (Lloyd Webber)

10 December 2005

 

Soprano Miriam Cauchi’ s lovely voice and its wide range emphasised not only the mellower aspects of the sultry In Trutina mentis dubia but also the sensuous Stetit puella and the high outburst of the Dulcissime totam tibi subdo me

Carmina Burana (Carl Orff)
— The Times Weekender

21 May 2005

 

Miriam Cauchi with powerful voice and fine tone production took on te role of Juliette ... deeply felt, expressively performed. Merce dilette Amiche from the Sicilian Verpers established Ms Cauchi’s credentials as a Verdi specialist: she took pleasure in every note, and the high notes were always clean and unforced ... Ms Cauchi is an emotionally powerful Rusalka.

Hofer Anzeiger, Germany

31 July/1 August 2004

 

In a performance that lasted over an hour it was difficult to tell which piece Ms Cauchi sang best ... They were all equally beautifully rendered, expressive and sung with grace and gusto. Her singing carries with it a conviction and a spontaneity that are truthful but never showoff-ish. In person Ms Cauchi is relaxed, intelligent and un-diva-ish, and her commitment to the music shines through every note. The first part of the programme consisted in a number of arias, varies and demanding and giving ample evidence of the singer’s versatility. These included arias by Bellini, Mozart, Massenet and Dvorak. Not one aria sounded like the other, though in all of them her voice sparkled like a jewel. Above all, her polished and refined technique was coupled with a marvellous expressiveness which gave each piece its particular quality, equally convincing in everything she sang ... We certainly have one(a star) in Ms Cauchi whose fresh and creamy lyric tone, purposeful stage presence and impeccable musicianship and top it all looks as well can guarantee success.

— The Sunday Times of Malta

11 July 2004

 

Ms Cauchi is a highly talented singer whose warm personality and musicianship shine forth abundantly. Indeed, the selection of operatic excerpts she sang were fine character studies which highlighted her versatility, excellent preparation and attention to interpretative details. Equally and richly multi-faceted is her voice which ranges from mellow and dramatic to light and airy. She employs it so well that it easily carries the listener to exciting heights. All this is underlined by a deeply felt musicality which leaves nothing to chance.

— The Times of Malta

15 November 2003

 

...A memorable recital ... Very clear high notes..wide range of colours and sensitive phrasing marked the soprano’s singing of the piece (From Donizetti’s Anna Bolena) a real tour de force.

— The Sunday Times of Malta

14 July 2002

 

Miriam Cauchi continues to confirm the excellent press received lately with another superbly tuned performance in the role of Anna. A particularly difficult character to bring off.

— The Times of Malta

2 July 2002

 

...As the loveable coquette Adina, she was one of the main pillars of the production. Her sense of certainty and command of the part was supported by a soundly prepared and carefully matured voice

L’ Elisir d’amore (Donizetti)
— The Times of Malta

11 March 1998

 

...The start of the evening was Soprano Miriam Cauchi. Her voice has a bell-like clarity in all it range. It is smooth and mellow. Her leaps are effortless and without any sign of ungainly accent. Her handling of the coloratura was light and sensitive and very well controlled and even the pianissimo, I gather, was perfectly audible...p>

Messiah (Handel)
— The Sunday Times of Malta

26 October 1997

Valeriana: The Titan’s Rock premieres at Gozo’s Astra Theatre in Victoria on May 4 presented by Festivals Malta as part of the Malta Biennale, with the participation of the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra. Esther Lafferty talks to the production’s director DENISE MULHOLLAND who is delighted to be directing this new Maltese opera.

The premiere of Joseph Vella’s first opera, Valeriana: The Titan’s Rock, takes centre stage on May 4 at 7.30pm at the Astra Theatre in Gozo.

Valeriana: The Titan’s Rock Opus 155 is a four-act opera composed by the late Maestro Vella and completed by Maestro Christopher Muscat, himself a former composition student of Vella.

The opera is based on a libretto by Vincent Vella, the regional winner for Europe in the BBC World Service Radio Playwrighting Competition 2007. This opera will be conducted by Muscat himself, who will be leading the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra for this world premiere.

“I’m told that Mro Joseph Vella, who was a big part of the Astra Theatre ‘family’, had always talked of composing an opera,” explains director Denise Mulholland, “choosing to base his work on an award-winning play in English by Vincent Vella to maximise the opera’s appeal.

“Although he had sketched out his ideas for acts three and four, he had only completed the first two acts when he died [in 2018], and so, Christopher Muscat – who is also the conductor of the upcoming opera – stepped up and completed the work. Christopher was a former student of Joseph Vella’s, so the fact that he was able to do this is both a great tribute to the maestro and a fitting addition to Vella’s legacy.”

Mulholland says the opera’s music is “beautiful, with soaring melodies, and unexpected”, adding that Gozo is well-known for its opera and, while audiences are generally familiar with the classics, the upcoming opera will be new to everyone.

“We’ve worked hard to ensure the storytelling is spot on, especially for those who aren’t accustomed to contemporary music,” she adds.

The story is set on Valeriana, a fictional island in an Italian archipelago in 1943. It’s rooted in this specific time during World War II, before the overthrowing of Mussolini, and yet is very relevant today.

The director went on to say the opera is an interesting piece about adversity and resistance, family and humanity, and it raises questions about what happens when people are given absolute power.

In the opera, two key characters are ranged against one another: Cirillo, played by Maltese baritone Louis Andrew Cassar who, having been bullied throughout his childhood, has a burning desire for revenge and, as a fascist despot, becomes increasingly unhinged; and Rosario, played by Mexican tenor Andrés Moreno García.

Rosario is a quick-tempered fisherman who was shipwrecked on the island and fell in love with a local girl, Teresa, played by Gozitan favourite Miriam Cauchi. During the war, as a Maltese citizen with a British passport on Italian soil, he’s confined to the island.

“It’s a feeling of isolation many of us can connect to, having been cut-off during COVID,” muses the director. “The cast performs on a simple set with a mirrored surface that serves as Valeriana and highlights the claustrophobic nature of life on a small rock in the middle of the sea.

“Other singers include Marvic Monreal, who is making a huge name for herself in the opera world, and Brian Cefai, a very well-known tenor,” adds Mulholland.

The director says she worked behind the scenes with a team including Luke Azzopardi as costume designer, who she says added a modern edge to period costumes.

The team also includes Anthony Bonnici as set designer, Moritz Zavan as lighting designer and Anthony Mizzi as the video artist who, because the play was written in a cine­matographic way, has added poignant additions to the show.

“Together they’ve created a clean aesthetic with a dream-like quality,” she says.

As director, Mulholland has taken a Verismo approach, keeping the onstage action natural and honest against abstract and projected backdrops that are continually changing – from a piazza to a beach, a kitchen, etc.

These backdrops add atmosphere and mood and serve almost as an additional character. The video element has also given them the scope to show a character’s thoughts in an innovative way – for example, you can see Cirillo’s imagined interactions with Mussolini as his fantasies unfold on the screen behind him.

As Cirillo becomes increasingly psychotic, another of the characters – Il Professore (played by Noel Galea) – warns that “Today’s vengeance is the seed of tomorrow’s hatred”, concerned what the behaviour seen in Valeriana is teaching the island’s children. This is a universal premise that is valid today in the Middle East and other conflict zones around the world.

Il Professore also asks who will stop a tyrant doing what he wants if people behave with apathy and resignation. Mulholland sees apathy is a global challenge that affects all of us, and as Cirillo envisages building luxury villas along his island’s small coastline, the audience can draw their own comparison with contemporary politics.

“Although the themes are quite heavy, and the setting is a dark time in history, there’s still plenty of humour,” she smiles. “Also, the characters include Sanz Sel, a comical curmudgeonly old baker who is played by Spanish baritone Pau Armengol Torrella.”

The chorus also adds an additional lightness. Rather than simply being a set of voices, each member has their own character on-stage and act out their own mini-stories within the groups, a touch of which Mulholland is particularly proud.

And as the Malta Biennale continues, driving discourse on our heritage, on decolonisation, on peace and politics, the harmonic voices of Valeriana: The Titan’s Rock offer an operatic commentary on the past and the present in the Mediterranean, and beyond, in this glorious ground-breaking performance.

New Maltese opera by the late Joseph Vella premieres in Gozo
— Esther Lafferty

28 April 2024

Times of Malta

 

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