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maltatoday | SUNDAY • 27 FEBRUARY 2022 7 OPERA Teatru Manoel to hit a high note with a celebration of opera In A Celebration of Opera this March, the Manoel presents four evenings of popular opera company repertoire with an all-star cast FROM 10 to 13 March 2022, Teatru Manoel will present four consecutive evenings of opera events in A Celebration of Op- era. Renowned for its annual full- scale production, Teatru Manoel is now synonymous with opera. The ongoing COVID-19 restric- tions, however, limited the pro- duction of a fully staged opera at Malta's national theatre this year. Yet opera-lovers will still have an opportunity to celebrate pop- ular opera repertoire this March. A Celebration of Opera will offer four gala evenings with a variety of music from Baroque to Sond- heim, featuring an all-star cast of singers directed for stage by Caroline Clegg with music di- rection by Riccardo Bianchi and accompanied by the Malta Phil- harmonic Orchestra (MPO). "Teatru Manoel is proud to continue our tradition of bring- ing opera to audiences, through these intimately staged Galas," says Teatru Manoel CEO Mas- simo Zammit. "As the pandemic continues to demand a different approach to live performance, our exceptional creative team have innovated to ensure that the Manoel, as Malta's operatic home, can still celebrate the joy of opera." The stellar cast features Luis Aguilar, Albert Buttigieg, Louis Andrew Cassar, Miriam Cauchi, Nico Darmanin, Claire Debono, Graziella Debattista, Nicola Said and Cliff Zammit Stevens, with orchestral arrangements by Veronique Vella and Federico Bonoldi. Also joining the cast for her Teatru Manoel debut will be world-class British Soprano Louise Alder. "The biggest challenge was making music in spaces and in formations that we never thought possible," explains Mr Bianchi. "My first feeling is a sense of responsibility and re- spect: given the artistic value of the cast and the MPO, I have the opportunity to work on the repertoire at a high level. But my second feeling is one of joy: at last, we can do what we have loved all our lives!" Indeed, the packed A Celebra- tion of Opera programme show- cases the best of opera through its finest performers. On Thurs- day 10 March, the event kick- starts with Light Fantastic, a Ga- la evening of uplifting, energetic and sentimental music from the Operetta repertoire. Here, So- prano Nicola Said, Tenor Nico Darmanin and special guests lead a rip-roaring jaunt from Paris to Vienna with music by great composers including Le- har, Strauss and Offenbach. Voted as the most popular com- poser of all time, the Manoel will celebrate the timeless works of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in Magical Mozart on Friday 11 March. Join the audience as So- prano Claire Debono, Tenor Nico Darmanin, Baritone Louis An- drew Cassar, Bass Albert Buttigieg and special guests perform dra- matic highlights from Le Nozze di Figaro, Die Zauberflöte, Don Gio- vanni and Cosi fan Tutte. Transatlantic Drift on Satur- day 12 March will meanwhile honour the musical exchanges between the shores of the Atlan- tic. Acclaimed Soprano Louise Alder joins Cliff Zammit Stevens and special guests to perform scenes in English from works by Purcell, Handel, Britten and Stravinsky, as well as contem- porary opera company standard repertoire such as Gershwin, Sondheim and Weill. Finally, Passione on Sunday 13 March completes A Celebration of Opera with an evening dedi- cated to Italian Opera starring Soprano Miriam Cauchi, Mezzo Soprano Graziella Debattista, Tenor Luis Aguilar, Baritone Louis Andrew Cassar, Bass Al- bert Buttigieg and special guests. Audience favourites by Italy's finest composers such as Bellini, Cilea, Donizetti, Mascagni, Puc- cini, Rossini and Verdi will close the event with a flourish. "I am delighted to be invited to the stunning Teatru Manoel to direct these four very distinct Galas which, in this beautiful and intimate setting, will allow us to reveal all the dramatic nu- ances of the greatest operatic music from romance and drama to comedy and duplicity," Ms Clegg concludes. Teatru Manoel's A Celebra- tion of Opera will take place on 10, 11, 12 and 13 March 2022, with all performances starting at 8pm at Teatru Manoel. The events are suitable for audience members aged six and above. Teatru Manoel adheres to the public health recommenda- tions at the time. Tickets are available at €100/€90 for all four concerts, €35/€30 per con- cert for two or three, or €40/€35 for one concert. Book via email to bookings.mt@teatrumanoel. mt, by telephone to (+356) 21246389 or online at www.te- atrumanoel.mt. Maltese Soprano Nicola Said