What it is

An evening of art song - a Liederabend - comes to the Victoria International Arts Festival (VIAF) in Gozo on Wednesday 1 July 2026, with the bass-baritone Yang Wern Ooi. The programme is built around Schubert, the supreme master of the German song, with favourites including An Silvia, Heidenroslein, Litanei, Ganymed and Die Forelle (The Trout), plus a set of his Moments musicaux for solo piano, and then turns to English music with Ralph Vaughan Williams's beloved cycle Songs of Travel, settings of Robert Louis Stevenson's poems of the open road. The recital - 'Liederabend' simply means 'song evening' - is the most intimate of musical forms, a singer and a pianist sharing poetry and melody at close quarters. The programme is beautifully chosen: Schubert's songs range from the tender to the dramatic, Die Forelle is one of the best-loved songs ever written, and Vaughan Williams's Songs of Travel - 'The Vagabond', 'Bright is the Ring of Words' and the rest - are a perfect showcase for a rich bass-baritone voice. It is an ideal concert both for seasoned song-lovers and for newcomers wanting to discover the repertoire. Yang Wern Ooi is a bass-baritone with a notable career; he founded The Tiger Vocal Quartet, which performed operatic ensemble pieces around London, and has sung the bass solo parts in major choral works including Orff's Carmina Burana, Bach's Magnificat, Faure's Requiem, Dvorak's Stabat Mater and Mozart's Coronation Mass. Hearing a singer of that experience in an intimate Gozitan recital, for free, is one of the treasures of VIAF. The concert is part of VIAF, Malta's longest-running festival of its kind - five uninterrupted weeks of orchestral, choral and chamber music in Gozo between June and July, where every concert is free of charge. That sustained generosity has made VIAF a treasured fixture for music lovers and a genuine reason to visit Gozo in early summer. Its recitals, in the intimate acoustics of Victoria's churches and historic halls, are the perfect setting for the quiet drama of song. For a visitor, a free evening of Schubert and Vaughan Williams song, in a historic Gozitan setting, is exactly the kind of cultural encounter that gives a summer trip depth and meaning. VIAF's venues are among Victoria's finest spaces - the grand St George's Basilica, Teatru Astra, and other churches around the historic centre. A few practical points. Getting to Gozo means the ferry from Cirkewwa in northern Malta to Mgarr, then a short bus ride or taxi up to Victoria in the centre of the island; if you are coming over for an evening concert, check the last ferry back or plan to stay on Gozo. Because VIAF concerts are free and unticketed, seating is first come, first served, so arrive in good time. Dress comfortably for a warm summer evening, and consider an earlier wander around Victoria's Citadel and squares before the recital. Tender, dramatic and deeply human, an evening of Schubert and Vaughan Williams song is one of the most rewarding ways to experience the VIAF season - free, intimate and unforgettable. For lovers of the human voice, the Liederabend is a quiet highlight of the early-summer calendar. Check viaf.org.mt for the concert's exact venue and start time before you go.

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