Fil-bar tal-kantuniera (ʻIn the bar round the cornerʼ) [Musical Composition]

Abstract

This art song for soprano and piano expresses the disillusion of life. Man is sometimes betrayed by life's colourful promises that when reached transpire as artificial if not also bitter. The music seeks for the right balance between conventionality and new sonorities whilst at the same time follows carefully the development of the text in terms of both structure and reflectiveness.

Oliver Friggieri (1947-2021) was a Maltese poet, novelist, literary critic, and philosopher. He was a professor of Maltese literature and literary criticism at the University of Malta. Many of his works have been translated into various languages including German, Greek, Rumanian, Finnish and Italian. The song was first performed by Rosabelle Bianchi (soprano) and Alexei Galea Cavallazzi (piano) at Sala Isouard (Valletta) in December 2009. It was then recorded on CD 'Riflessi–Art Songs from Malta' (MCCD 2015) (Miriam Cauchi, Soprano; Maria Frendo, Piano.