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CULTURE THEATRE maltatoday | SUNDAY • 6 OCTOBER 2019 6 THE National Theatre of Malta, Teatru Manoel, unveils its 2019-2020 theatrical sea- son with a dynamic range of productions designed to cap- tivate, charm and move audi- ences. The March Opera has be- come a staple in the theatre's cultural calendar. This season Teatru Manoel presents Ross- ini's Otello featuring Maltese Tenor Cliff Zammit Stevens in the title role. Otello will be directed by Tuscan-based Vivien Hewitt, under the baton of Marco Mencoboni who is also re- sponsible for the Monteverdi Project. This Rossini work is differ- ent to what the general public usually expects of Rossini who is known for his comic operas like Cenerentola and IL Bar- biere di Siviglia. Although deviating some- what from the Shakespeare original, the opera remains tragic but is indelibly stamped nonetheless with the immedi- ately recognisable Rossinian virtuosity. So much so that in the midst of the rehearsal schedule, on the 10th February, celebrated Rossinian diva Mariella Devia will be giving masterclasses which will also be open to the general public. ' The theatre will also be host- ing two other operas; Mozart's Impresario, which will be per- formed to an audience of chil- dren as part of the ŻiguŻajg Festival in November, and Haydn's Lo Speziale by Laut- ten Compagney, which is hap- pening this weekend on the 5th and 6th of October. Lautten Compagney made its Maltese debut in the Valletta Baroque Festival which goes into its 8th Season in January of 2020 and will feature Ba- roque heavyweights such as Vivica Genaux, Joel Fredrik- sen & Adrian Chandler, just to name a few. October will also see one of Malta's leading music groups, Versatile Brass Band, taking the Manoel's Main Stage for the first time in concert with a number of local artists, with part of the proceeds in aid of Dar Bjorn. In November, Maltese cel- ebrated musicians; Violinist Carmine Lauri and Guitarist Simon Schembri will be join- ing forces for Virtuosi, a con- cert featuring works by Pa- ganini, Piazzolla and Vivaldi. In December the theatre will be once again hosting the BOV Joseph Calleja Founda- tion Concert which will fea- ture a number of international guests along with Foundation Scholars accompanied by The Malta Philharmonic Orches- tra and masterminded by Jo- seph Calleja himself. In November DeNote En- semble will be performing an all-Mozart Chamber Music Concert in memory of the late George Debono who left the 1888 Broadwood Piano to the theatre. Dramatic work also forms part of the theatre's Cul- tural Programme with comic but literary English titles like of The Importance of Being Earnest which is be- ing performed in collaboration with MADC and two thought- provoking pieces from Staġun Teatru Malti; Ix-Xiħa and Iġri Neħles, amongst others. Contemporary Dance takes centre stage with perfor- mances from Moveo Dance Company & ŻfinMalta. In- spired by two contrasting icons; Frida Kahlo and Com- poser Antonio Vivaldi, Mo- veo presents a double bill performance in April under the direction of award-win- ning duo Dorian Mallia and Diane Portelli. ŻfinMalta on the other hand present 21 Dances for 21st Century based on the recent best-selling book by Yuval No- ah Harari entitled 21 lessons for the 21st Century, choreo- graphed by ŻfinMalta's Artis- tic Director Paolo Mangiola in collaboration with contempo- rary visual artist Kane Cali. The Toi Toi Educational Programme is back for its 9th season with performances for children exploring vari- ous genres from puppetry to dance, music, art and theatre happening mainly at Teatru Manoel's Studio Theatre. In March, Toi Toi's Te- atru Manoel Youth Theatre (TMYT) will be featured in a new piece written and direct- ed by awar-winning sister duo The New Victorians, titled Manoel. Yearly appointments make their comeback with per- formances APS Teatru Un- plugged, the Christmas Pan- tomime and various concerts given by the Malta Philhar- monic Orchestra throughout the season with the first one being this Friday 4th October entitled Vienna Forever and the Beethoven commemo- ration concert in May 2020, featuring celebrated violinist Charlie Siem. For more information and to book your tickets visit www. teatrumanoel.com.mt The Teatru Manoel 2019-2020 season opens this weekend The March Opera's Otello Model Set by Art Project Designer Raymond Farrugia