Festivals Malta is at it again, presenting another resplendent weekend of magic and wonder at the 11th edition of the Three Palaces Festival, to be held between Wednesday 30th October and Sunday, 3rd November Intimate performances and artistic showcases will unfurl amidst the grandeur of Malta’s finest venues including the Grandmasters’ Palace, St John’s Co-Cathedral, and National Museum of Archaeology.
See the full program here
St John’s Co-Cathedral is just one of the many beautiful venues for the festival (Photo by Máté CC BY-SA 4.0)
About Three Palaces Festival
What has become known for its use of Malta’s most beautiful buildings, palaces and churches, the Three Palaces Festival will once again invite visitors to experience some of Malta’s most resplendent architectural venues, with intimate concerts and artistic showcases to be held at Gran Salon in the Archaeology Museum, St John’s Co-Cathedral, the newly restored Grandmaster’s Palace, Verdala Palace in Siġġiewi, and Palazzo Parisio in Naxxar.
These historical backdrops will not just captivate audiences but will be an added embellishment to the extraordinary musical and artistic performance.
This year, the festival’s artistic direction is overseen by Dr Michelle Castelletti, and the programme will be one that celebrates the versatile use and guises of the piano, from the playful and glistening to glorious and grand, and will explore the myriad ways the instrument is manifested through musical genres including classical, jazz, and even pop.
A larger-than-life piano will be set up in St George’s Square in Valletta, giving passers by a chance to play the piano with their feet in the streets, for free.
Verdala Palace in Siġġiewi is the summer residence of Malta’s president
Events Not To Miss
The first event of the festival is curious and intriguing: “The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires” with works by Piazzolla and Tchaikovsky”. This description entirely puzzled me. What relativity does the Four Seasons have to do with Buenos Aires and who is Piazzolla and what is his connection to Tchaikovsky? This obviously needed further research and this yielded the following:
Astor Pantaleon Piazzolla was an Argentinean musician and composer, born in Buenos Aires in 1921 and passed away in 1992. He became famous as an Argentinean-style tango composer as well as a bandoneon instrument player and adapted much classical music to tango enhancement. The bandoneon, it turns out, is a type of concertina that’s particularly popular in Argentina and Uruguay and an instrument utilised in most tango ensembles.
I look forward to this event to analyse the result. I love classical music and tango but have never thought to combine the two. Christine Zerafa will be the pianist, Jacob Portelli will play the cello and Sarah Spiteri will play the violin in the palatial Grandmasters’ Palace in Valletta on the 30th of October at 7.30 p.m.
“Come and Sing” will be staged Thursday 31st October, starting at 7.30 p.m. in the Music Chamber of Valletta’s St John’s Co-Cathedral where the Island Brass Quartet, the Amadeus Chamber Choir and the St Paul’s Choral Society choir will be accompanied by organists Elisabeth Conrad and Natalia Rakhmatulina.
A song and dance event with Luke Bugeja Gauci as the dancer in a composition by Max Richter entitled “The Four Seasons Recomposed” will be held on 1st November at 8 pm in Valletta’s National Museum of Archaeology with an orchestra of violin, viola, double bass, harpsichord and harp.
Join one of Malta’s eminent float builders at a “Traditional Mask-Making” event with Lawrence (Lorry) Coleiro, where you will make your home and take it home. Lorry is also a highly-respected international film and stage set constructor. This event will be held in two sessions at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on 2nd November at the Malta Society for Arts in Valletta. This is an ideal supplement to a purely musical outing. Coleiro is a 75-year-old man from Raħal Ġdid, Malta, who has been involved in carnival celebrations since he was two years old.
An intriguing presentation entitled “Roses, Carnevale and Angels” will take place on 3rd November at 6 p.m in Naxxar’s astounding and private Palazzo Parisio. Read more about the programme here
Carnival masks, Malta
For further details about The Three Palaces Festival contact: info.fm@festivals.mt
Plan your trip www.visitmalta.com
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BeSeeingYou In: Malta
Good To Know: Entrance prices are modest, averaging around 20 euros.
WOW! Factor: You’ll hear classical music at its best in some of Malta’s most beautiful venues
TIP: Festivals Malta has a smartphone app that lets you stay up to date on events and news
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Author Bio: Albert Fenech
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