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maltatoday, SUNDAY, 29 JANUARY 2017 This Week 33 WHAT'S ON FEBRUARY 17 Moving Mountains: 10 Years of nosnow/noalps Ten-year anniversary concert for alternative rock band nosnow/ noalps at The Palace Theatre, Paola at 20:00. Bookings: http:// bit.ly/2jwigzs. FEBRUARY 17, 18 Symphonic Beatles Orchestral concert of classical interpretations of Beatles songs at the Mediterranean Conference Centre, Valletta at 19:30. Featuring the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra and the Amadeus choir, all under the direction of conductor Maestro Alan Chircop. The grand finale, brought the orchestra, choir and guest soloists together. Orchestral arrangements by Wayne Grima. Produced by Rocco Buonvino. Proceeds in aid of Fondazzjoni Qalb it-Tfal, a registered charity set up to help the Neonatal Paediatric Intensive Care Unit at Mater Dei Hospital. Bookings: http://booking.mcc.com.mt/ Event/8320/. FEBRUARY 17, 18 Rebecca Binnendyk at the Jazz Cave Canadian jazz singer Rebecca Binnendyk will be performing at the Jazz Cave, St Julian's. She will be accompanying Carlo Muscat and his quartet, including Clint Campisi (guitar), Dean Montanaro (bass), Joseph Camilleri (drums). Bookings: http://jazzcaverestaurant.com/ EXHIBITIONS UNTIL FEBRUARY 5 What Comes After the 1 Minute of Silence? Exhibition held at Spazju Kreattiv, St James Cavalier, Valletta presented by Fabrizio Ellul and dealing with the consequences of terrorism on communities in Europe. The exhibition is divided into three parts: an installation of digital drawings, a video installation, and a panel discussion (the latter of which took place on January 25). An artist talk on February 3 will conclude the project in which the artist, Fabrizio Ellul, discusses potential future projects based on the theme of European communities. The exhibition is curated by Matthew Attard. UNTIL FEBRUARY 26 Snuff Boxes: From Accessories to Objets d'Art Exhibition of historic snuff boxes at Palazzo Falson Historic House Museum, Mdina. Open from Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 16:30. The exhibition brings together two hundred snuff boxes and related artefacts, sourced from museum, ecclesiastical and never-seen-before private collections in a show that charts the history of the snuff box from the most stunning examples to the variety of boxes that were created to hold the once precious powder, snuff. Organised in collaboration with Fondazzjoni Patrimonju Malti. Entrance to the exhibition is free of charge. More information: www.palazzofalson.com. THEATRE FEBRUARY 4, 5; 9-12; 16-19 Unintended Unifaun Theatre production of an original script by the company's founder and producer Adrian Buckle at Spazju Kreattiv, St James Cavalier, Valletta at 20:00. Directed by Stephen Oliver. Cast includes Mikhail Basmadjan, Mariele Zammit, Joyia Fitch and Stephen Mintoff. The play is rated 18. Bookings: http://www. kreattivita.org/. FEBRUARY 9 National Theatre Live in Cinema: No Man's Land Live transmission of the Harold Pinter play No Man's Land at Spazju Kreattiv, St James Cavalier, Valletta at 19:30. Featuring Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart and directed by Sean Mathias. Bookings: http:// bit.ly/2gIl8vS. FEBRUARY 22 RSC in Cinema: The Tempest Live transmission of the Royal Shakespeare Company's production of William Shakespeare's The Tempest at Spazju Kreattiv, St James Cavalier, Valletta at 19:30. Starring Simon Russel Beale and directed by Gregory Doran. In a unique partnership with Intel, the most advanced technology will be adopted into a bold reimagining of Shakespeare's magical play. Bookings: http:// bit.ly/2ht7MmE. Valletta International Baroque Festival 2017: Comedy, parody and solo instruments THE Valletta International Ba- roque Music Festival, now in its fifth edition, marched on with an almost breath-taking succession of events of the highest order. One highlight was the supremely funny and clever creation by Jean- Philippe Desrousseaux of the Cen- tre Musique Baroque de Versailles. In typically French manner, com- mon in the first half of the 18th century, Atys, Lully's most famous opera is reduced into a parody dubbed Atys en Folie with puppet- eers and singing actors. This was the Centre's second production specifically created for this festival and follows the highly successful parody of Rameau's Hippolyte et Aricie which was premiered in Malta in 2014 and performed very successfully in France and elsewhere. It was all a world of stage upon stage, pup- peteers and singers interacting in various duets and ensembles. The whole thing was too hilarious for words. I noticed that the dose of saucy banter and double entendre was more rampant in this work and most probably went over the heads of the children present. Baritone Alain Bouet was in the travesti role of Cybele, the irritat- ed goddess who manifests herself on Earth. He gave a side-splitting performance enriched with his rich, masculine baritone adding to the irony and humour. Among the other performers there were mezzo-soprano Marie Lenormand as the slatternly Marguerite and baritone Arnaud Marzorati as her fiancé, who doubled as artistic di- rector. The slick production also included star puppeteers Gaëlle Trimardeau, Bruno Coulon and of course the master creator of con- cept and direction, Jean-Philippe Desrousseaux. One hopes that this collaboration between the VIBM festival and the Centre Musique Baroque de Versailles will contin- ue to flourish. Also at the Manoel, the perfor- mance of Pergolesi's La Serva Pad- rona by the Associazione Musicale Giacomo Carissimi was not just that. In fact, the programme was 'Rousseau e La Serva Padrona'. The performance of was preceded by a play excellently written by Dora Liguori who directed both play and opera. It is about a small troupe of Italian performers in the Paris of 1752. The philosopher Rousseau's interest in the opera and it social message arouses some opposition and ends up with a contest as to which was the better opera composer: the long-defunct Lully and his French opera and Pergolesi, dead in 1736. It was to lead to the (in)famous Querelle des Bouffons, and the play has it that King Louis XV declared Lully the winner but in reality, Italians win out because after all, Lully was born Lulli, an Italian! That is according to the play because very much involved too was Rameau, there was a fine mix of actors and singers with the au- thoritative and very clear delivery of Edoardo Siravo's Rousseau, Sil- via Siravo's not very erudite musi- cal ideas (as Madame de Pompa- dour) and Claudio Lardo's easily alarmed and irritated reactionary Monsignore. Edoardo di Lorenzo made a perfectly insipid cicisbeo as the Marchese di Vavancouver who could only repeat utterances made by others. Armando Voza's Louis XV and Assunta Nigro's Queen Maria Leszczynska never uttered a word but the Queen's face spoke volumes reflecting her irritation with La Pompadour's presence and eyes ogling the King. Soprano Enrica Marti's Serpina was well- acted out if, vocally, not always on top form. She doubled as the actress for the 1752 Paris perfor- mance in which she often spoke Neapolitan as did Vito Cesaro as her husband and who in the op- era also doubled as the bumbling Vespone. Baritone Mauro Utzeri was on very good form as Uberto, the Master who in the end marries Serpina. Vito Cesaro also made a very funny and over-exaggerat- edly menacing Capitan Tempesta while Clara Migliari conducted an on-stage string quartet from the harpsichord. The festival features a number of solo instrument recitals, the first of which was an all-J.S. Bach one by UK harpsichord player John Ir- ving. Held in the main hall of the Public Library, Irving introduced his recital explaining how the in- strument has its own 'humours', sensitive to the atmospheric sur- roundings and changing condi- tions. As the instrument here was not a period one, he went along with an open mind as to the effects one expected of it. The choice of programme fell upon four of the six French Suites, namely N1. In G minor BWV 812, N. 3 in B minor BWV 814, N. 4 in E flat BWV 815 and N. 6 in E BWV 817. The programme, dubbed 'Bach and the Spirit of the Dance' fit well with the musical content, all the suites being a series of move- ments marked as differently paced dances. None was composed with a Prelude and John Irving improvised a modulating prel- ude for each chosen suite. Quite uncertain before he started as to where this would finally lead, he did not exclude the "mad" or the bizarre! It was to be a lovely jour- ney. It was a smooth progression of different tones and colour; a rich sequence of dances at times lively and carefree, at others, as in the sarabandes, "considered as the emotional centre-piece(s) of each suite" offered much food for thought. It was no surprise that John Irving's sole encore was the Sarabande from the 5th Suite N. 5in G, BWV 816. At the church of All Souls there was a recital featuring the viola da gamba, with music by one of its last great exponents, Carl Frie- drich Abel. Going out of fashion by Abel's death, interest in it was revived last century. Surely one of the finest living gambistas is Reiko Ichise, a lady whose musi- cal excellence is matched by a charming and communicative personality. She performed Abel's 27 Pieces for Viola da Gamba, (20 of them in D Major) skilfully bringing to life as many moods and emotions and wide technical skills these pieces could conjure. There was never a dull moment in this lovely, musical tapestry, where Reiko Ichise still provided a richly attractive variety, especially ap- pealing in the better-known Ns. 20-24, all in D minor. Concert reviews by Albert G. Storace John Irving performing at 'Bach and the Spirit of Dance' Unintended is the latest hard-hitting play from Unifaun Theatre Historical snuff box exhibition in Mdina