Saffi, which means ‘layers’ in Maltese, is a showcase of new works by young composer Alex Vella Gregory which will be held next Saturday, the 7th of March at 8.30pm, at St James Cavalier.

The concert will feature Hames Ghanjiet, a set of five songs for soprano and piano, and Piano Sonata No. 3. The piano sonata was written in September 2008 whilst the composer was on an artist residency at the Virginia Centre for Creative Arts.

Gozitan Soprano, Marouska Attard, will be interpreting the Hames Ghanjiet, which will be receiving its world premiere. The texts, also by the composer, deal with unrequited love. The five poems are Il-Hadd Filghaxija, Kultant, Forsi Hlomt, Cpar, and Post-Mortem. Marouska Attard will be accompanied at the piano by the composer.

The Piano Sonata No. 3 is a four movement work that takes as its starting point the stratigraphy of Maltese geological formation. This basic precept becomes not only the basis for the musical structure, but also a metaphor for life. The geology of the Maltese islands is such that the bottom-most layer of rock is the oldest, while that on top is the youngest. Moreover, the rocks themselves are formed of the calcified remains of dead organisms. Thus, this idea of living on top of the remains of life becomes the central theme of the sonata.

This concert marks the culmination of an artist residency programme. This formed part of an ongoing exchange between the Virginia Centre for Creative Arts and St James Cavalier which gives Maltese artists, authors, and composers a chance to participate in an artist exchange programme.

Tickets for the concert are €5.00 (€3.00 concessions), and can be obtained from St James Cavalier. For bookings or more information kindly contact St James on 2122 3200 or boxoffice@sjcav.org

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