Brian Schembri to conduct national orchestra

Two Maltese artists of high calibre who do not often perform here - Brian Schembri and Joseph Calleja - will appear together in a celebrity concert at the Manoel Theatre on April 27.

The concert is being promoted as the national theatre's contribution to the extensive calendar of the EU accession celebrations.

"This is surely an unprecedented treat for classical music enthusiasts who will be able to appreciate both stars in the exquisitely programme," a spokesman for the Manoel Theatre said.

The first part of the programme will feature Mr Calleja in a number of arias ranging from opera classics to romanze da sala accompanied by the National Orchestra, directed by Mro Schembri.

The well-known Tchaikowsky masterpiece, symphony No. 4, again under the baton of Mro Schembri, will be the main feature in the second part of the programme.

Mro Schembri's last performance in Malta was three years ago on the occasion of the centenary celebrations of the University Students Representative Council when he excelled in the interpretation of Brahms' Academic Overture at the Mediterranean Conference Centre, in Valletta.

His return to the Manoel Theatre must surely be a welcome occasion for all who have followed the development of his chequered career these last decades as a worthy ambassador of his native Malta.

Apart from his remarkable conducting experiences, Mro Schembri also gives highly acclaimed recitals thus enhancing his reputation as a pianist of the highest standards, original in interpretation and profoundly musical in approach.

Nevertheless, his interest in the pedagogical nature of the art of conducting has led him to direct various orchestral workshops both in France when he was invited to work as assistant conductor with Orchestre Nationale du Capitole de Toulouse and in Portugal where he is currently engaged as the principal conductor of the Orquestra Metropolitana de Lisboa.

Mro Schembri has also conducted opera productions with ARCAL, the Ensemble Justiniana, the Atelier Lyrique du Centre, the Rennes and Nancy opera theatres as well as having directed prestigious orchestras such as the Ukraine State Philharmonic, the Orquestra Ciutat de Barcelona, the Odessa Philharmonic Orchestra, the Moscow Soloists, the Orchestre Philharmonique de France, the Orchestre de Chambre de Geneve, the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and the Orchestre Nationale de Lyon among others.

Last November he recorded a CD - Brian Schembri - Piano Recital - in which he interprets three major monuments of piano repertoire; Beethoven's Sonata no.32, Schubert's Sonata no.13 and Rachmaninov's Sonata no.2.