Il-Kuncert tal-Milied, is always a first rate tonic, and the 2008 edition can be rated amongst the best ever. It is to the great credit of the conductor John Galea, and the Chorus Urbanus Productions that the eleventh edition of ‘Il-Kuncert tal-Milied’, performed at St. George’s Basilica on Saturday 20^th December, presented music which was completely engrossing, deeply moving and idiomatically performed. The program included several yuletide contributions which balanced out the rest of a varied program that consisted of sacred music numbers. The concert opened with Charles Camilleri’s Andante Religioso, and the audience could hear the conductor’s obvious relish for the composer’s style and the former’s ability to convey the composer’s intentions to his willing subjects. The solid string writing sounded fullsome, yet it possessed a refined elegance. This was followed by the first choral contribution, Vivaldi’s Gloria, an ideal opening to the concert. The chorus and orchestra instilled emotion into every note and carefully crafted each phrase of the piece deftly handling the intricate high-baroque counterpoints. It was a spirited rendering, full of joy and confidence, yet well controlled. John Galea’s own Canticum for Strings gave ample proof of his effective handling of plainsong and quasi-plainsong textures set amid a harmonically terse background. The orchestra’s emotional progression was infectiously taken up by the crowds thronging the basilica’s aisle and naves and left one and all humming the ‘Magnificat’ psalm tune. The chorus continued to impress with their performance of Mozart’s Ave Verum Corpus; this rendering was beautifully crisp and the climactic ending was sublime.

Karl Kempter’s Pastoralmesse was one of the most stirring works of the program. The Chorus Urbanus gave a highly creditable performance of this work that was being premiered during this year’s edition of ‘Il-Kuncert tal-Milied’. It was tonally pleasant and featured romantically soaring melodies, intense dynamic changes, amid more-elaborate chordal progressions. It clearly demonstrated the strength of the soloists Yvonne Galea (Sop), Antonella Mercieca (Alto), Mario Portelli (Ten) and Noel Galea (Bass) and the choir’s different sections. Chorus and orchestra did an admirable job invigorating the various mass movements being performed and kept the audience continuously engrossed throughout this delightful mass.

The choir's quality of sound throughout the carols was marvelous. The singing brought out the warm textures and musical colours of each carol; whether in the spacious Bach chorale texture, the a cappella rendering of While Shepherds watched, the soft Stille Nacht, the hushed unison our own Ninni la tibkix izjed or the mighty power of the climactic O Holy Night. But perhaps the most exuberant was the Ukranian Bell Carol delivered with suitably suited sonorities imitating the pealing of bells. The concert came to a conclusion with the traditional Adeste Fideles with its impressive piling of sonorities that left the audience breathless. The Chorus Urbanus always regale the audiences that patronize this Grand Annual Christmas Concert with the eagerly awaited rendition of The Hallelujah Chorus from The Messiah. This year was no exception! This choral number is technically demanding, both in its rhythmic complexity and vocal compass, and the choir produced a lovely balanced sound, supported by excellent playing from the Orchestra dell’Università Kore di Enna. The Chorus Urbanus rose splendidly to the challenges and sang with feeling, discipline and control throughout. This concert demonstrated that such Siculo-Gozitan artistic collaboration had resulted in high-caliber music and performers. After an evening of such gorgeous music-making the audience present was left with only three words: “Bravi!,” “Bravissimi!,” and “Bis!”

A repeat performance of the concert was performed at St Joseph's Parish Church in Kalkara, on Sunday, 21 December 2008. This concert was organised with the collaboration of the Rev. Clergy of this parish and the Local Council of Kalkara. In both concerts, a special collection was held in aid of local charities. In Gozo the collection was made in aid of Arka Respite Centre whereas the one in Kalkara was held in aid of Id-Dar tal-Providenza.