Photo by Rob Matthew
Following the success of its summer festivals, Festivals Malta presents two festivals celebrating a variety of sub-genres from the classical repertoire - the Three Palaces Festival and the Valletta Early Opera Festival. Taking place in some of Malta’s finest venues, these two festivals will be taking place in October and November respectively.
The Minister for National Heritage, the Arts, and Local Government Owen Bonnici stated: “Festivals Malta is doing invaluable work in promoting culture in our country. They are reaching not only the Maltese public but also tourists who come specifically for events like these, showcasing high-quality productions. The government is making significant investments to revitalize the cultural sector in Malta. We are committed to making Malta a premier destination for arts and culture in the Mediterranean and Europe. With Festivals Malta, we are on track to achieve this ambitious goal. I congratulate Festivals Malta on their two upcoming high-caliber festivals and encourage them to continue their dedicated efforts.”
Starting with the Three Palaces Festival, which is now in its 12th edition, this year’s festival will be celebrating the 700th anniversary of the legendary traveller, writer, explorer and merchant Marco Polo. In the same bent of curiosity and exploration as the legendary, this year’s Three Palaces Festival presents a range of concerts and workshops which meander through the range of classical music; from the most classical of classical works with a concert of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons by Antonio Vivaldi to contemporary appreciations of the classical form with Max Richter’s Four Seasons recomposed. The festival will be taking place between the 30th October and the 3rd November at some of the island’s most beautiful venues - Grandmaster’s Palace, Archaeology Museum, Verdala Palace, and Palazzo Parisio.
Hot off the heels of the Three Palaces Festival, from the 8th until the 10th November, Festivals Malta will be presenting the Valletta Early Opera Festival. This year, the festival will be presenting Mozart’s Il Re Pastore. Consisting of three performances, taking place in collaboration with Teatru Manoel, this year’s edition of the Valletta Early Opera Festival brings to the spotlight yet another of Mozart’s most underperformed operas which will be under the musical direction of Maestro Giulio Prandi and the stage direction of Tommaso Franchin. This year’s festival also boasts a stellar cast, with countertenor Federico Fiorio, sopranos Claire Debono and Catherine Trottman, tenor Nico Darmanin and baritone Raffaele Giordani.
Festivals Malta’s Chairman Aaron Zahra emphasised that, “for Festivals Malta, having two festivals of this calibre which connect both some of the finest international performers in the classical scene and locals, is something which we are incredibly proud of.”
Furthermore, Festivals Malta CEO Frans Agius stated, “Together with the magic of the venues chosen for these performances, the programme this year offers an almost full spectrum of the genre of classical music with concerts, workshops, an opera and also a masked ball during this Autumn season. A unique experience not to be missed.”
The Three Palaces Festival and the Valletta Early Opera are organised by Festivals Malta, with the support of the Ministry for the National Heritage, the Arts and Local Government. For more information on these festivals, please visit www.festivals.mt.
Festa ta’ Mużika Klassika: Festivals Malta Jippreżenta l-Festivals tal-Ħarifa
Wara s-suċċess tal-festivals tas-sajf, Festivals Malta qed tippreżenta żewġ festivals li jiċċelebraw sottoġeneri varji mir-repertorju klassiku; it-Three Palaces Festival u l-Valletta Early Opera Festival. Dawn iż-żewġ festivals se jseħħu f’Ottubru u f’Novembru rispettivament f’uħud mill-isbaħ palazzi u binjiet li għandha x’toffri gżiritna.
Il-Ministru ghall-Wirt Nazzjonali, l-Arti u l-Gvern Lokali Owen Bonnici qal: “Festivals Malta qed tagħmel bicca xogħol imprezzabbli fit-tixrid tal-kultura f’pajjiżna. Dan qed tagħmlu billi qed twassal għand il-pubbliku Malti, imma wkoll turisti li jiġu f’pajjizna propju għal avvenimenti bħal dawn bi produzzjonijiet ta’ livell għoli ħafna. Il-Gvern qed jinvesti b’mod qawwi ħafna fit-tisħiħ tas-settur kulturali f’pajjiżna. Aħna impenjati li nagħmlu minn Malta destinazzjoni ewlenija għall-arti u l-kultura fil-Mediterran u l-Ewropa. Permezz ta’ Festivals Malta, dan it-tragward fiduċjuz li se nilħquħ. Nifraħ lil Festivals Malta għal dawn iż-zewg festivals ta’ kalibru li ġejjin u nheġġiġhom ikomplu bil-ħidma fejjieda tagħhom”.
It-Three Palaces Festival issa jinsab fit-12-il edizzjoni tiegħu u din is-sena se jkun qed jiċċelebra s-700 anniversarju tal-vjaġġatur, kittieb, esploratur u negozjant leġġendarju Marco Polo. Simili għall-kurżità u l-esplorazzjoni ta’ dan il-leġġendarju, il-festival ta’ din is-sena jippreżenta firxa ta’ kunċerti u workshops li jesploraw il-ġeneru kważi sħiħ tal-mużika klassika; mill-aktar xogħlijiet klassiċi bil-kunċert tal-‘Four Seasons’ ta’ Antonio Vivaldi, għall-apprezzamenti kontemporanji tal-forma klassika bil-‘Four Seasons’ ta’ Vivaldi rikomposti minn Max Richter. Il-festival se jsir bejn it-30 ta’ Ottubru u t-3 ta’ Novembru f’xi wħud mill-isbaħ postijiet tal-gżira - il-Palazz tal-Granmastru, il-Mużew tal-Arkeoloġija, il-Palazz Verdala, u Palazzo Parisio.
Wara dan il-festival, mit-8 sal-10 ta’ Novembru Festivals Malta se tippreżenta l-Valletta Early Opera Festival. Din is-sena, il-festival se jkun qed jippreżenta l-opera ‘Il Re Pastore’ ta’ Mozart b’kollaborazzjoni ma’ Teatru Manoel. Għaldaqstant, l-edizzjoni ta’ din is-sena tal-Valletta Early Opera Festival se terġa tagħti attenzjoni lil opra oħra ta’ Mozart li ma tantx hija magħrufa. Din se tkun qed titella’ taħt id-direzzjoni mużikali ta’ Maestro Giulio Prandi u b’d-direzzjoni tal-palk ta’ Tommaso Franchin. L-opra ta’ din is-sena qed tittella’ b’kast stellari, bil-kontrotenur Federico Fiorio, is-soprani Claire Debono u Catherine Trottman, it-tenur Nico Darmanin u l-baritonu Raffaele Giordani.
Iċ-Chairman ta’ Festivals Malta Aaron Zahra enfasizza li, “għal Festivals Malta, li għandna żewġ festivals ta’ dan il-kalibru li jgħaqqdu kemm uħud mill-aqwa artisti internazzjonali fix-xena klassika kif ukoll artisti lokali, hija xi ħaġa li aħna kburin tant biha.”
Barra minn hekk, il-Kap Eżekuttiv ta’ Festivals Malta Frans Agius stqarr li “flimkien mal-maġija tal-postijiet magħżula għal dawn ir-rappreżentazzjonijiet, il-programm din is-sena joffri firxa kważi sħiħa tal-ġeneru tal-mużika klassika b’kunċerti, workshops, opra u wkoll ballu matul dan l-istaġun tal-ħarifa. Hija dażgur esperjenza unika li wieħed m’għandux jitlef.”
It-Three Palaces Festival u l-Valletta Early Opera Festival huma organizzati minn Festivals Malta, bl-appoġġ tal-Ministeru għall-Wirt Nazzjonali, l-Arti u l-Gvern Lokali. Għal aktar informazzjoni dwar dawn il-festivals, jekk jogħġbok żur www.festivals.mt.
Comments