Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1541318
11 gozotoday | FRIDAY • 14 NOVEMBER 2025 CULTURE FROM Thursday 20 November to Satur- day 7 December 2025, churches and un- expected venues across Malta and Gozo will host eleven concerts for the 12th Malta International Organ Festival—a line-up that moves from Baroque favour- ites to 20th-century heavyweights, com- munity events and, mid-festival, a one- night screening of Eisenstein's Battleship Potemkin with live organ-and-percussion score at Eden Cinemas on 26 November. Baroque Valletta: Malta and Naples in dialogue The series opens tomorrow on Thursday 20 November (7.30pm) at the Collegiate Parish Church of St Paul's Shipwreck, Valletta with Stabat Mater: Abos & Per- golesi. Ukrainian vocal ensemble Kiev Baroque Consort joins Maltese and Ital- ian collaborators in a Neapolitan-school conversation pairing Girolamo Abos with G.B. Pergolesi—two composers shaped by Francesco Durante. Gozo: historic instruments, village churches and a trumpet's call On Saturday 22 November (6.45pm), the Parish Church of St Margaret V.M., Sannat presents One Europe in Music, a deep dive from the Tabulatura Joannis de Lublin through Pachelbel, Froberger, Kerll, Muffat and Bach—ideal literature for Gozo's baroque colours. A day lat- er in Fontana, the Sacred Heart of Jesus Church hosts The Trumpet Shall Sound, setting hymn tunes and classical favour- ites alongside film music for the vivid pairing of organ and trumpet. From organ loft to silver screen: Battle- ship Potemkin with live score On Wednesday 26 November (8.30pm) the organ relocates to Eden Cinemas, St Julian's for Sergei Eisenstein's 1925 clas- sic Battleship Potemkin, performed with a live score by C. Jarrett and Joseph Bibi Camilleri on percussion. Russian moderns, dancing organs Friday 28 November (8pm) brings a solo organ recital at St Augustine Parish Church, Valletta—Shostakovich, Pre- decessors & Contemporaries—mark- ing 50 years since the composer's death and placing him alongside Prokofiev and Mussorgsky. The following night, Satur- day 29 November (7.30pm), the Basilica of Jesus of Nazareth, Sliema hosts Le Roy Danse – The Organ Between Classical Music and Popular Tradition, tracing the interplay between courtly dance and pop- ular rhythm from the 16th to 18th cen- turies. Community voices, quiet reflection and a personal tribute On Sunday 30 November (12pm), the Rotunda of Mosta welcomes a lunchtime community concert. The atmosphere turns contemplative on Monday 1 De- cember (6.45pm) at Our Lady of Pompei, Marsaxlokk, with a solo programme titled The Light. The next evening, Tuesday 2 December (7pm) at St Mark's Church, Rabat, Sacred Arias pairs organ and bari- tone, and includes the world première of Marco D'Avola's Romanza a George, Op. 79, dedicated to George Lia (1949–2025). Organ meets saxophone: an unexpected pairing Friday 5 December (7pm) shifts to the Onorati Oratory, Jesuits' Church, Vallet- ta for Pipes & Reeds – An Encounter of Sounds, teaming German organist Ralf Borghoff with award winning Italian sax- ophonist Cesare Travagin. A symphonic conclusion on a grand instrument The finale on Sunday 7 December (7pm) brings organ and orchestra together on the grand majestic organ of the Basilica of Our Lady of Porto Salvo and St Domi- nic, Valletta, with Johannes Skudlik con- ducting and Winfried Lichtscheidel at the console for a programme centred on Rheinberger's Concerto No. 1 in F, Op. 137, alongside Handel, Vivaldi and Naji Hakim. The Malta International Organ Festi- val 12the edition is supported by Visit- Malta, APS Bank, Biz Consult Ltd, the German Embassy in Malta, the Italian Cultural Institute, and Festivals Malta. Full program and details from www. MaltaInternationalOrganFestival.com Pipes, power and a silent-film surprise: Malta International Organ Festival hits 12th edition From Thursday 20 November to Saturday 7 December 2025, churches and unexpected venues across Malta and Gozo will host eleven concerts for the 12th Malta International Organ Festival The 12th Malta International Organ Festival returns from 20 November to 7 December 2025, filling churches and unexpected venues across Malta and Gozo with eleven concerts spanning Baroque masterpieces, modern classics, and even a silent-film screening with live organ score.