Programme
Antonio Vivaldi (1678 – 1741)
Concerto in D major RV93
Allegro Giusto – Largo - Allegro
Concerto in C major RV425
Allegro – Largo - Allegro
Luigi Boccherini (1743 – 1805)
Guitar Quintet in D major G448Pastorale – Allegro maestoso - Fandango
Interval
Antonio Vivaldi
Concerto No 4 for Strings
Alla Rustica RV151 op 51
Presto – Adagio -Allegro
Concerto for Guitar & Viola D’Amore in D minor RV540
Allegro – Largo -Allegro
Mauro Giuliani (1781-1829)
Concerto in A major Op 1
Allegro Maestoso – Siciliano Andantino – Rondo alla Pollacca
Performers
Soloists
Simon Schembri – Guitar
Sarah Spiteri – Viola D’Amore
Musicians
Valletta Baroque Ensemble
Violins Sarah Spiteri
Tatjana Chircop
Marcelline Agius
Orietta Beaumer
Sonia Mallia
Stefan Calleja
Violas Matthew Fenech
Joseph Mallia
Cellos Jacob Portelli
Matthias Conrad
Double Bass Michelle Agius
Harpsichord Tom Armitage
Programme Notes
This programme traces the rise of the concerto and the guitar’s journey from lute and mandolin to a celebrated solo instrument.
Antonio Vivaldi, a master of the concerto, created music where solo instruments converse with the orchestra. While best known for his violin concertos, he also wrote for mandolin and viola d’amore. The Concertos in D and C major and the Concerto for Viola d’amore and Guitar presented here are modern guitar transcriptions of works originally composed for lute, mandolin, or Viola d’Amore. In each, the guitar adapts the plucked-string textures of its predecessors while engaging in subtle dialogue with the ensemble, showcasing both the instrument’s lyrical qualities and its ability to highlight timbral contrasts.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, the lute and mandolin dominated solo and ensemble music, but by the late 18th century, the guitar’s richer resonance and expressive range allowed it to take their place, bridging intimate chamber music and larger concert stages.
Luigi Boccherini’s Guitar Quintet embodies this shift. Composed in Spain, it blends Italian elegance with the guitar’s rhythmic vitality and colour, treating it as a full partner within the ensemble. Mauro Giuliani’s Guitar Concerto brings the instrument into full prominence. A virtuoso of the early 19th century, Giuliani demonstrates the guitar’s technical brilliance and expressive range, confirming its evolution from accompaniment to commanding solo voice.
Biographies
Simon Schembri - guitar
Guitar was a very popular instrument when Simon Schembri started playing it at the age of six in Malta, his native island. At the age of nine, he was already giving concerts. He was awarded the licence of the Royal Schools of Music of London (L.R.S.M.) when he was 14. Immediately after, he was chosen as student of Master Alexandre Lagoya at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Paris where he was awarded First Prize. He is international competitions laureate (Montelimar, Guitar Foundation of America and Young Concerts Artists of America), and member of the Yehudi Menuhin and George Cziffra Music Foundations. The Malta Classical Music Award paid tribute to his career and legacy to the Maltese music scene.
Simon Schembri is in the line of the guitar technique founded by Tarrega in the 19th century, which inspired the famous Ida Presti and Alexandre Lagoya. Critics recognized the strong but nevertheless noble and mellow sonority, as well as richness of musical expression. Alexandre Lagoya considered him to have “virtuosity at the service of a high spiritual sensitivity” and Simon Schembri enjoyed the rare privilege of sharing several guitar duets with the Master.
Simon Schembri has been invited by musical medias : Eve Ruggieri (Musiques au coeur - France 2), Anne-Charlotte Rémond (France Musique) José Arthur and the conductor Frédéric Lodéon (France Inter), who was “struck by the clarity of his playing and quality of musical expression that brings life to music”.
Simon Schembri gives numerous recitals in France, his adopted country, and abroad (Paris, Lyon, Verona, Warsaw, Istanbul, Tunisia, Venezuela, Washington...). He also dedicates a large part of his activity to chamber music playing quintets with Quatuor Debussy, Quatuor Ludwig, Quatuor Parisii, duets with great artists: Alexandre Lagoya, Marielle Nordmann, Yuri Bashmet, and orchestral works in renowned halls: Théâtre du Châtelet with Solistes de l’Orchestre de Paris, Théâtre des Champs Elysées, Salle Pleyel, Cathédrale des Invalides with Orchestre de la Garde Républicaine, Palais des Congrès Paris with Orchestre Lamoureux, The Kennedy Center Washington, Purcell Room London, Liceo Madrid, Royal Castle Warsaw, Tsaritsyn Opera House Moscow and in major international festivals : Aix-les-Bains, Chartres, Biarritz, Mediterranean Festival, Flâneries Musicales de Reims...
Simon Schembri has constant interest in evolution of the guitar. He premiered several works from Jacques Chailley, Erik Marchelie, Gordon Mizzi or Karl Fiorini and has been closely working with spanish guitar maker Ignacio Rozas and Savarez Strings. He is a Professor and regularly gives masterclasses in summer music academies: Académie Internationale de musique de Lozère, Académie des Pays de Loire and Musicalta.
Sarah Spiteri – Viola D’amore
Sarah began her musical studies in Malta, earning a Licentiate from Trinity College London, and continued her training in Lyon, Siena, and the UK with renowned musicians. She holds advanced degrees in music and education, including an MSc in PMLD from the University of Manchester and a PGCert in Sounds of Intent from the University of Roehampton.
An accomplished violinist and violist, Sarah has recorded extensively, featuring works by Maltese composers, including Charles Camilleri. In 2004, she founded the ProMuzika Ensemble, touring widely in Europe and North Africa Chamber music remains central to her artistic life.
Sarah has played a pioneering role in Malta’s music education and cultural development. She developed the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra’s Education Programme, advised the Manoel Theatre’s educational arm Toi Toi, and in 2011 became the first Artistic Director of the ŻiguŻajg Kids and Youth Arts Festival. She is currently Director of the Valletta Baroque Ensemble (ViBE), the resident ensemble of the Valletta Baroque Festival, dedicated to historically informed performance and reviving Malta’s baroque heritage.
Her fascination with the viola d’amore began when ViBE’s performance of Bach’s St John Passion inspired her to explore the instrument and its repertoire. She plays a bespoke viola d’amore by luthier Jonathan Hill, and has delved into both historical and contemporary explorations. With its silvery, resonant sound and subtle overtones, the instrument allows Sarah to bring Vivaldi’s Concerto for Viola d’Amore and Guitar vividly to life, revealing the warmth, intimacy, and expressive nuance that make the viola d’amore so uniquely captivating.
Valletta Baroque Ensemble
The Valletta Baroque Ensemble (ViBE) is Malta’s leading group specialising in early music. Founded in December 2012 by a group of early music enthusiast musicians, ViBE was created to bring a dedicated baroque ensemble to the island. Its debut concert, featuring the celebrated soprano Dame Emma Kirkby at St Paul’s Anglican Pro-Cathedral in Valletta, immediately established its reputation for artistry and style.
ViBE has since become the resident ensemble of the Valletta International Baroque Festival, performing many of the festival’s highlight productions. Its repertoire spans Handel’s Water Music and Music for the Royal Fireworks, Monteverdi’s Vespers, Biber’s Requiem, Handel’s Messiah and Belshazzar, and the Dettingen Te Deum. Combining leading Maltese musicians with international baroque musicians, the ensemble delivers performances that are both lively and historically informed.
In 2025, marking the 350th anniversary of Alessandro Scarlatti’s birth, ViBE dedicated a series of performances to his works, including his oratorio La Giuditta, lesser-known string quartets, orchestral music, and the Stabat Mater, presented in collaboration with KorMalta.
ViBE has also performed internationally, appearing at concerts and festivals in the UK, Belgium, Madrid, Paris, Berlin and Italy, further extending the reach of Malta’s early-music tradition.
Through its festival performances, international engagements, and local projects, ViBE has become a central part of Malta’s baroque music scene, enriching the island’s cultural life and bringing historic music to contemporary audiences.