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maltatoday | SUNDAY • 6 NOVEMBER 2022 8 ALMANAC My essentials ALEX VELLA GREGORY 38, composer & musician A composer by profession, trained in Malta and Edinburgh. I also enjoy working as a performer, researcher and pedagogue. I am interested in stories, and how they shape our identity and our aspirations. I have worked with a wide variety of disciplines and organisations over the years, from communities to national institutions. 1 4 5 1. Book 2. Film 3. Internet/TV 4. Music 5. Place I must say there are quite a few good internet series' out there. I loved Severance — so far it's proving to be a master- piece. I also finally got round to watching Lemony Snick- et's A Series of Unfortunate Events, and loved it. There's plenty out there, and I'd rec- ommend Big Mouth, Sex Education and The Crown (yes, yes, I know… but one is allowed a little indulgence every now and then). Also plenty of good documenta- ries out there: anything by David Attenborough, Jim- my Saville: A British Horror Story, Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich and Vatican Girl. SOMEWHERE far far away is an IT guy trying to figure out my musical tastes through al- gorithms. I can go from high brow Classical Music (we're talking medieval organum, ob- scure Baroque and 20th centu- ry Modernism) to the cheesiest pop imaginable (90s dance mu- sic… I listen to it for the lyrics, of course). I do love my Italian pop music and my folk music. Have a soft spot for sad songs. Ultimately, it's the story that matters; the way it's told is a matter of taste. I love my country, but it's be- coming harder and harder every day to sustain that love. Seeing our natural and built heritage being erased every day is one of the hardest things for me to endure. It's also my duty as an artist to fight for those stories and give them life. There are too many places I love to mention specific ones, but I tend to love cities and sa- cred spaces. The Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum is certainly among the top on the list. If you have never visited, do so. Worth every euro. It's the same with my favourite places abroad: Rome, Naples, Lisbon, Athens, Edinburgh, Puglia, Sicily, Vi- enna… it's a long list. Oh and 'sacred spaces' does not sim- ply mean churches or temples. Sunrise on the Pyrnees, sunset on the Atlantic Ocean… di- vine. OF all the books I've read in the last year, Se Venezia Muo- re (If Venice Dies) by Salvatore Settis has been the one that has stuck with me. It is a stark warning about the way we are destroying our urban centres by turning them into com- mercial commodities rather than living spaces. I would also throw in David Attenbor- ough's A Life on Our Planet, another cautionary tale on the way we are destroying the planet, but also exciting ways forward. I've also read Collo- di's original Pinocchio…man, it's dark… A Hidden Life by Terrence Malick. Absolutely amazing film. It follows the life of Franz Jägerstätter, a conscientious objector to Nazism and World War II. I cannot even begin to explain the complex issues raised – issues about loyal- ty, principle, and love. On the complete opposite end of the scale, I decided to try and ex- plore the whole Marvel Uni- verse films. Good fun, and the occasional poignant moment. 3 2