Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/463339
XIV maltatoday, Sunday, 15 February 2015 This Week Witches fly the coven 300-year-old Stradivarius violin, worth €10 million, to visit Malta Having played in Malta back in 2012, british indie band esben and the Witch will be back on our shores for a concert later this month. TeOdOr reLJIC speaks to guitarist Thomas Fisher about the evolution of the band's critically-acclaimed atmospheric sound, and their decision to crowdfund their latest album St James Cavalier launches call for proposals for the 2015/16 season How would you say that your – distinctly dark and atmospheric – sound developed over the years? As we've become more confident as musicians we have begun to strip away all the layers of sound we used to rely on. We are still interested in creating heavy, atmospheric music but we've stopped rounding all the corners off so now it's more raw and abrasive. There are less effects and layers, less camouflage too, so what remains is starker and more human. As we go on there is more of us and more of our emotion in the music. In what ways does A New Nature differ from Wash the Sins…? Did you feel as though you were taking risks on it? It's more of a 'live sounding' al- bum. We wanted to try and capture the energy of our shows. Our first two albums were very much studio projects, very considered and metic- ulous, whereas the live incarnations of those songs tend to be more wild. In the past we had most of the parts written and a rough idea of how the songs would pan out before we began recording, but that was about it. There was a lot of tweaking and arranging afterwards. This time we made sure the songs were all fully formed and that we had rehearsed them to within an inch of their lives before we went into the studio. We wanted to record the three of us playing live, together, which with the help of [producer Steve Albini] we were able to achieve. Some of the tracks were done in one take, which is a testament to his skill as an engineer. You've enjoyed a healthy critical acclaim for most of your career. Does this kind of (nearly unanimous) praise help your creative process in the long term? As best we can we try not to let any external criticism, good or bad, have any bearing on the music. The longer we go on the easier it becomes to ignore it or at least not let it exude any influence. Given the sparse atmospheric soundscapes of your albums, how do you set about giving them a coherent shape? Do you work with themes or concepts from beforehand? It depends on the song. What hap- pens often is that we have a general theme or concept in mind that we explore as we write the music. The lyrics are like the fine details, they tend to come last, once everything else is in place. We can start out with an idea for a song and then sometimes end up in a different place entirely, that's the beauty of the process I guess. What was the main reason you left your record company prior to recording your third album? Do you foresee crowdfunding to be the way of the future for you? We wanted to set up our own label. In the end it was perfectly amicable with Matador – we both wanted to go our separate ways. For us the idea of having complete con- trol over every aspect of the album was very appealing. I mean, Mata- dor had always been great and let us do by and large what we wanted but there is still something exciting about being totally free – nobody even has to hear the music before you put it out. The crowdfunding part of it came about because as I said before we wanted to set up a la- bel of our own rather than sign with another. In the future, we want to become a completely self-sufficient operation – that's the dream. This will be your second time performing in Malta. How would you describe the first time you played here, and are you looking forward to be back on the island? The first time was great. I really enjoyed the show – there was a good atmosphere in the room. It was the first time we played most of the songs from the second album so I remember it well. We are also looking forward to having a day off after the show to spend exploring the island some more. It's a beauti- ful place. Esben and the Witch will be per- forming at Razzett l-Ahmar, Mosta on February 28 at 21:00. They will be supported by local acts The Vio- lent Violets and Krishna. Tickets are at €13 online or through the Embassy Cinemas Box Office, Valletta, €16 at the door. Bookings: http://www. ticketline.com.mt/ A 300-year-old Stradivarius crafted by the legendary string instrument-maker Antonio Stadi- vari is set to be played, for one of the first times in over half a cen- tury, at a concert here in Malta. The concert, entitled A Stradi- varius Among Us, will take place on Sunday 15 March at St Paul's Anglican Cathedral in Valletta at 20:30, with proceeds going to various cancer charities. Organised under the patronage of The President of Malta, and supported by Elekta and Techno- line Ltd, A Stradivarius Among Us is a one-off concert that will feature the world-renowned Stradivarius player Mro Matteo Fedeli. He will be playing the Antonio Stradivari 1715 'ex Bazzini – De Vito', and will be backed by the Orchestra d'Archi e Coro Da Camera dell'Accademia Concer- tante d'Archi di Milano, under the baton of Mro Mauro Ivano Benaglia. "Following months of hard work, we are very proud to an- nounce this unique concert," says project manager Marc Cabour- din, of TAC Theatre. "This will doubtlessly be a wonderful opportunity for many to see and, more importantly to listen to, one of the most beautiful and coveted instruments in the world." The concert, which will mark this particular Stradivarius' 300th birthday, is the first stop on a tour that will see the Antonio Stradi- vari 1715 'ex Bazzini – De Vito' and Mro Matteo Fedeli travel Europe and America together. "Mro Matteo Fedeli has literally dedicated his life to bringing the sound of the iconic Stradivari to the public," adds Cabourdin. "And we are extremely lucky to be one of the first countries in the world that will be able to listen to its incredible and unique sound in over 50 years!" Ahead of the concert, the violin, which is estimated to cost an astonishing €10m, will also be on display at the President's Palace in Valletta on March 14. Entry to the exhibition will be free Thomas Fisher (left): "In the future, we want to become a completely self-sufficient operation – that's the dream" "We are still interested in creating heavy, atmospheric music but we've stopped rounding all the corners now, so it's more raw" Mro Matteo Fedeli Following the launch of its stra- tegic vision in November 2014, St James Cavalier Centre for Creativity is inviting proposals for the upcoming 2015/16 season. The newly published Call For Proposals is accessible on www. sjcav.org. This call is based primarily around the Strategic Vision pre- sented through Sensiela IDE@, a series of conversation opportuni- ties between the public with re- cently-appointed Artistic Direc- tor Toni Sant. The Vision revolves around three core cornerstones - these being Identity (Identità), Diversity (Diversità), and Legacy (Eredità). With a deadline of March 27 2015, anyone interested in applying is invited to visit the Centre for Creativity's website in order to familiarise themselves with the Selection Criteria and the call itself. In support of this, the Centre for Creativity will also be holding a series of workshops and one- to-one follow-up sessions with the Centre's Artistic Director and Programme Co-Ordinators, called IKKREA, in the com- ing weeks. IKKREA is intended to serve as an opportunity for potential applicants to raise their questions about the Call for Proposals and receive immedi- ate feedback to help finalise their proposal. This series is open to all, free of charge, and does not require registration. The first workshop was held at St James Cavalier on February 12, with one each week following. Meet- ings are being held on different days and at different dates in an effort to accommodate as many members of the public as possible. IKKREA will therefore also be held on February 20 at 18:30, February 28 at 15:30 and March 6 at 10:30. Sensiela IDE@, now on its third iteration, is also set to continue. The next meeting is scheduled for February 18 at 19:00, with the topic revolving around the second cornerstone – Diversity. The public is invited to attend and contribute towards the discus- sion with invited guest speakers broadcaster Ray Bajada, Prof. Gordon Calleja from the Digital Games Institute, and Chantal Cassar, senior lecturer in Physics at the Junior College. There is no attendance fee however regis- tration is required through the event page which can be found on www.sjcav.org or on Facebook.