Gozo culture festival extended to Malta

This year's Mediterranea festival - an 11-day showcase of Gozo's cultural gems - was launched yesterday.

Into its third edition, Mediterranea will present a programme of events which brings together music, dance, history, archaeology, crafts, tradition, art and nature. The festival will be held between October 28 and November 7.

For the first time, Mediterranea is crossing over to Malta with some of the larger scale events. This decision was based on a number of factors, including the inoperability of the Teatru Astra that was partially destroyed by fire last November, ironically on the final day of last year's festival.

The annual opera is very much on the menu. Giacomo Puccini's Tosca, which will bring to Gozo's shores a cast of internationally-acclaimed singers, including soprano Birgit Eger in the title role (Floria Tosca), tenor Rumen Doikov in the role of Mario Cavaradossi, baritones Marco Chingari as Scarpia and Felix Serraclara as the Sagrestano. Local talent will also be on display.

Music lovers should delight in Natascha Chircop and Marco Rivoltini's piano concert that presents a wide selection of Classical, Romantic and 20th century music written for piano duet, held at the intimate Aula Mgr Farrugia, at St George's Basilica.

Gozo's musical heritage also features prominently in a concert of Baroque music, presenting a selection of our own authentic pieces as well as European, also under the direction of Mro Joseph Vella.

The La Stella band will give its annual contribution to the cultural festival with a concert of symphonic music, presenting a wide spectrum of genres and styles, from opera to the musical and from the classical symphony to the Romantic solo.

The Mediterranean caliente character comes out in full bloom in the evening extravaganza of Bailamos el Flamenco: a spectacle of Spanish and Latin dance, by the YADA Dance Academy, under the direction of its founder Felix Busuttil.

Alongside music, history and archaeology are the elements that make up the festival's second pillar. For the first time, Mediterranea is extending the archaeology theme and presenting an international conference on Maltese and Mediterranean prehistory, co-organised by Teatru Astra and Heritage Malta. The conference, which will be held in Malta, aims towards introducing the islands' prehistoric heritage from a lay person's point of view, tackling different aspects along the way. It will be spread over three successive morning sessions and will include different speakers, led by David Trump, the expert on Maltese prehistory.

The annual evening guided tour of the Unesco World Heritage Ggantija Temples will once again be held, with unique insights given by Prof. Trump.

The cultural festival will also be taking patrons on four other tours, exploring Gozo's history and character through the different museums, the various crafts and guilds still practised on the island today, the breathtaking panoramic sights and the baroque churches dominating the different villages across the island. All these tours, except for the tour of churches, are co-organised by the Teatru Astra and Heritage Malta.

For the third consecutive year, Mediterranea is presenting a sumptuous feast for all senses, where typical local food, wine and more will take on the leading roles.

For this year, two Teatru Astra productions - Tosca and Bailamos el Flamenco - will be held in Malta at the Hilton. Teatru Astra will provide transport to venues and back for Gozitans wishing to attend the events held in Malta.

Further information is available from info@mediterranea.com.
www.mediterranea.com