Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/240181
29 maltatoday, DREAMY DUBLIN pg 38 BLOODY BACON pgs 36-37 SEPARATING SOULS pg 34 SUNDAY, 12 JANUARY 2014 from punk rock to Baroque 'Baroque is a pure reflection of our nation' Artistic Director Kenneth Zammit Tabona tells us what's in store for this year's edition of the Valletta International Baroque Festival, taking place in various venues around Valletta until January 26 What are the main things you've learnt from the last year's edition of the Festival? As Artistic Director of this Festival, together with my team, we experienced a steep learning curve and came to appreciate even more that behind the best festivals, there is a lot of commitment, hard work and most importantly, passion. Nonetheless, we also learnt that no matter how culturally rich we are, there will always be a want for these events. Baroque, especially, in all its varied forms, is a pure reflection of our nation, our people and our culture. I feel that people are responding to this Festival because it is so synonymous with the baroque identity so inherent in us. The Festival is also proving to be an opportunity to promote Malta amongst a new niche of cultural tourists who purposely travel round the world attending festivals such as this and this inclusion is also raising the reputation of the Festival in Europe's cultural calendar. How did the general audience react to the festival? Against all expectations, last year's edition was a huge success. Over 6,000 people attended the varied two-week programme of concerts held inside some of Valletta's most prestigious Performance at the Church of St Nicholas in Valletta, part of last year's edition of the Valletta International Baroque Festival. Inset: Kenneth Zammit Tabona churches, palaces and of course our own Manoel Theatre, and most of the events were sold out. The audience we attracted was a varied one. There was a substantial number of patrons that travelled to Malta purposely for this Festival. In fact, this year, thanks to a steady marketing campaign supported by the Malta Tourism Authority, we have managed to attract over 2,000 tourists. However, we were also pleasantly surprised by the local response where, apart from the established crowd that invariably attends these events, the Baroque Festival had managed to attract a younger audience, many of which had never attended a baroque performance. The intense promotion and momentum that the first edition had gathered, the great talent that we secured both from overseas and from Malta and the uniqueness of the venues and the Festival's concept, all contributed to this success. We also hosted two Baroque Sundays with free events for all the family, something which we are going to repeat this year where we will host three Baroque Sundays including Toi Toi events for children and baroque dance classes in view of the Baroque Ball on 25 January. We are indeed very hopeful for this year's edition, which will further establish the already wonderful reputation that the festival already enjoys, locally and internationally. How would you describe the importance of Jean-Philippe Rameau to the festival itself? The year 2014 marks the 250th anniversary of the death of Jean-Philippe Rameau, one of the most important French composers and music theorists of the Baroque era. Therefore, it came as no surprise that this year's edition had to somehow celebrate the works of this great baroque protagonists. In fact, we have decided to include four performances that will feature some of Rameau's more important compositions. The first one which was premiered yesterday at the Manoel Theatre and is on again tonight at 20:30 is a parody of Rameau's first opera Hypolite et Aricie. When this production was first premiered in 1733, such was its astounding success that in 1742 Charles Simon Favart could not resist creating a parody of it. This opera, Hypolite et Aricie ou le Belle Mere Amoureuse and is being presented to us by the Centre de Musique Baroque de Versailles whose singers and a baroque ensemble set within an exquisitely wrought period puppet theatre will be premiering this work in Malta. The second Rameau performance, Galerie de Portraits by Rameau on Thursday 16th January, will feature harpsichordist Beatrice Martin with Les Folies Francoises performing at Ta' Ġieżu Church. Founded in 2000, Les Folies Francoises earned considerable experience with great Baroque formations and won major prizes both in France and abroad. The ensemble, conducted by violinist Patrick Cohën-Akenine, performs in the same spirit of freedom, plurality and creativity as the musicians of the Grand Siècle. On January 23 at the Manoel Theatre, Die Kölner Akademie from Germany will perform the third Rameau inspired concert entitled Airs Enchantes whereas the fourth performace of Rameau works on Sunday the 26th of January at the President's Palace will feature Les Bougies Baroques who will perform music showcasing Villains and Lovers; protagonists from the operas of Rameau. Conducted by Ian Peter Bugeja on the harpsichord, Villains and Lovers will feature five young talented singers in a unique concert of instrumental and vocal music namely Nicola Said, Claudia Tabone, Clare Ghigo, Cenk Karaferya and Justin Burwood. January is considered to be a bit of a 'downer' month. Was the decision to hold the festival during this traditionally depressing month partly motivated by a desire to liven up Malta's cultural calendar during this particularly 'slow' month? Indeed, hosting an international baroque music festival in January and promoting it across Europe, with the support of MTA and its network of international rep offices meant that what is usually considered as a dull lean month is now a month to look forward to not only by music lovers but also by all those in the hospitality industry who see in this Festival an opportunity for more business. This is why the Valletta Baroque Festival also managed to secure full funding from the government of Malta as this festival enhances Malta's presence in the cultural tourism map while immeasurably enriching our own cultural heritage within gems of our cultural patrimony thus killing several birds with one stone. For more information and a full programme, log on to: www.vallettabaroquefestival.com.mt