NT NETWORK
On April 27, the Pai Tiatrist Hall at the Ravindra Bhavan, Margao reverberated to the voices and music of 153 performers, who presented a wonderful programme of classical music conducted by Rev Fr Romeo Monteiro.

The evening comprised of a programme that included ‘Ave Maria’, Vivaldi’s Spring, Mozart’s Violin Concerto, ‘Mhoima Bapak’, ‘Swami Tu Charwaha’, ‘Regina Caeli’ and Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus.
The concert opened with an impressive rendition of a rare ‘Ave Maria’, by Jacques Arcadelt, performed by the orchestra and choir.
The next piece to be performed was a violin concerto in E major, ‘Spring’ from the Four Seasons by Vivaldi for solo violin and string orchestra. Soloist Victor D’Costa was excellent as he displayed a fine tone and good technique whilst tackling the rather intricate and difficult passages. Good effort overall, but the movement could have been taken at a livelier pace. So also one wishes the complete work was played and not just one movement.
Mozart’s violin concerto No 3 in G major was presented next, comprising of three movements, Allegrio, Adagio and Rondeau. Barring a few minor slips and some ‘hiccups’ in the brass and woodwinds, this too was a commendable performance. Young soloist Maria Sancha Ema de Assuncao Pereira, resplendent in a red and black gown showed great composure, finesse and stage presence in tackling the rather difficult and demanding work. Particularly impressive were the ‘cadenzas’ of the first and second movement with the soloist displaying her excellent technique to the fullest.
After the break, the choir and the orchestra was back on stage to perform ‘Mhoima Bapak’ a composition and arrangement by our own, the late Fr Lourdino Barreto followed by the conductor’s ‘bhajan’ style meditative rendition of ‘Tu Hai Swami Tu Charwaha’ from the Psalm 23. The latter was particularly impressive with the combination of the flute played by Seby Basilio Vaz and the ‘tabla’ played by Bolmax Pereira creating a warm and soothing atmosphere in the auditorium.
Next major work to be performed was Mozart’s ‘Regina Caeli’ for soprano choir and orchestra. The overall performance was good and Fr Romeo did an excellent job in controlling all the sections of the choir and orchestra. Soloist Preethi Coutinho is young, talented and has a good voice but a little more fluidity could have been displayed in the passages whilst tackling such a major work. The use of the microphone could have been avoided.
The programme ended with a grand rendition of ‘Hallelujah Chorus’ from the Oratorio ‘The Messiah’. The choir, the strings, the woodwinds and the brass and in particular the timpani combined together to create a most fitting finale to the whole evening.
Fr Romeo Monteiro is a highly talented and hardworking individual. This concert is an annual feature and all musicians and singers, whatever their stature, are welcome to participate. In the orchestra, in particular, there were highly accomplished musicians, interspaced with lesser ones, He puts in a lot of effort in training the not so accomplished and even if the end result is not of a very high standard and works chosen seem at times a little beyond the capacity of the performers, his effort is to be greatly appreciated and commended.
The chief guest for the programme was Rev Dr Jose Remedios Fernandes, Vicar General of the Goa Archdiocese and Ms Philomena D’Cruz, ex Sr Lecturer at the Kala academy. The function was well compered. Keep it up Fr Romeo!