Calling All Classical Music Lovers: 9 Days Of Exquisite Performances Are Coming To Malta
So many centuries later, classical music remains one of the best way for millions of people to relax, unwind, or get some proper studying done. Bringing all of that passion together for what is sure to be an unforgettable experience for all classical music lovers, the International Spring Orchestra Festival is coming to Malta’s shores… and it’s bringing with it nine whole days of amazing performances by both Maltese and international artists.
Now in its 12 edition, the International Spring Orchestra Festival has a lineup like no other. Veteran Basque pianist Joaquín Achúcarro, Mariinsky and St. Petersburg Opera singers Yuri Vlasov and Larisa Pominova, and conductor Brian Schembri will each be delivering magical performances throughout the festival, but they’re just the awesome tip of the iceberg.
Other renowned artists include virtuoso French pianists Roland Conil and Véronique Muzy, German violinist Hans-Peter Hoffman, Italian composer and conductor Dimitri Scarlato, the Hungarian Somogyi String Quartet, the world-touring European Union Chamber Orchestra, the Aquilon Trio and Tyresias Ensemble from London, and the Baltic Neopolis Virtuosi from Poland.
Its no wonder the organisers of this year’s ISO have decided to tackle the grand theme of Revolution & Its Composers; with a line-up like that, the festival became less about dreaming big and more about actual planning.
Over the festival’s nine-day course, nine concerts will take place at the Manoel Theatre, the National Museum of Archeology, Pjazza Teatru Rjal, and the Malta
Society of Arts (Palazzo De La Salle). The concerts will star soloists, chamber ensembles and orchestras in repertory ranging from
Beethoven and the Romantics through Bartok, Stravinsky and Debussy, to eclectic new premieres.
Everything kicks off this Friday at the recently refurbished Manoel Theatre, as grand a stage as the artists could hope for. The opening concert will see an incredible matching of European Union Chamber Orchestra, soprano Larisa Pominova, bass Yuri Vlasov and conductor Schembri, all bringing to life Shostakovich’s 14th Symphony.
The programme for this year’s edition of the International Spring Orchestra Festival has surprises and highlights in store for everyone.
During the opening concert, for example, attendees will be able to listen to a real celesta being played for the very first time on our island. A small keyboard-like piano which makes use of felted hammers striking a row of steel plates suspended over wooden resonators, this unique instrument has an ethereal bell-like sound and will be brought over from Italy especially for this occasion.
Next Tuesday and Wednesday, on the other hand, the ISO kickstarts the Rising Stars concert series, dedicated to some of the scene’s youngest talent. This year features up-and-coming star pianists Jean Marc Fabri, Francis James Zammit, Daphné Delicata and Daniel Zak Borg.
There’s also, of course, the world premiere of Karl Fiorini’s new piece Pentimenti, which is actually a piece specifically commissioned by the Valletta 2018 Foundation.
Friday the 13th April is set to be your lucky day if you’re loving what you’ve been reading, because two different concerts are being organised on the night. Firstly, at Pjazza Teatru Rjal a spectacle will be put up by 50-strong student choir Ritmi-KA, coached by the Marseille based HOP TRIO. On the other hand, at the National Museum of Archaeology, the Budapest-based Somogyi String Quartet will perform Bartok’s iconic Quartets Nos 2 & 6 and Stravinsky’s Three Pieces written in 1914.
Everything will wrap up on Saturday 14th April at 8pm, where the Manoel Theatre will yet again play host to the closing concert. The orchestral concert will feature the London Tyresias Ensemble and the Baltic Neopolis Virtuosi from Poland under the baton of composer-conductor Dimitri Scarlato. The programme features Lutoslawski’s Musique Funèbre, world premieres of new pieces by Fiorini and Scarlato, and Bartok’s timeless Divertimento for strings.
For more information on the festival’s whole programme, check out the ISO’s official website. Tickets (which range from €10 to €30) are available from the booking office of the Manoel Theatre, but can also be bought online. Children aged 15 or under and Malta School of Music students go for free, while other students and senior citizens get a 50% discount.