Mark Firman, Kappara
Appeal for rethink on opera house (1)
I have been following the correspondence in The Times relating to the rebuilding of the Opera House for over 20 years with great interest. The content of most letters and other articles show that the majority of readers are in favour of rebuilding and restoring the Opera House back to its former glory and splendour. During World War II Malta lost a great treasure and I believe that the present government should give this lost heritage back to the Maltese public.
It was a great shock to learn that the government was planning to build Parliament on the site formerly occupied by the Opera House. This decision seems to have been done without any public consultation and I therefore strongly encourage the Prime Minister and his Cabinet to gauge the public sentiment before moving ahead. Various letters have already been written proposing that Parliament could be moved to Main Guard or St Elmo. I agree with this and also believe that there are other alternative suitable buildings in Valletta which could be used to house Parliament.
The government's argument that Valletta would be too "theatre" saturated if the Opera House were to be rebuilt does not hold much water. A new and bigger Opera House would be able to host events that otherwise could not be staged in the current theatres and which would surely attract large audiences as has been seen from operatic events organised both in Malta and Gozo in recent years.
Every capital city in Europe has an imposing and beautiful Opera House. Valletta, a city built by gentlemen for gentlemen should be no exception. I strongly urge our Prime Minister to reconsider the government's view on this very important national and sensitive matter.
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Denis A. Darmanin
Jan 3rd 2009, 15:21
Thank you Mr Firman for remembering the Main Guard. Much is said about restoration works and of national treasures, but in a recent visit to the upper hall, the ex-Officers Mess, I enjoyed the many murals depicting our military heritage of the British era. Before anyone shouts 'oppressed times' and 'hakma tal-barrani', we must remember that from times before the Romans, we were always an occupied country! Even the beauty of Baroque and what the Knights left us, was not for us but for the enjoyment of our Sovereigns.
Anyway, these murals are in dire need of restoration even though they are supposed to be hidden behind drapes. I have noted chipped corners, flaking paint, and even perforations to allow a/c tubing. Wasn't it bad enough that they were nailed into and hidden for so long when the building served as the Libyan Cultural Centre? The last time that they were 'restored', was in 1942 by Envin Cremona. Or are we choosey as to what constitutes our heritage?
To conclude, the state of St. Elmo and now St. Angelo keep cropping up in these arguments but somehow no-one remembers that there’s also Fort Ricasoli, a gem in its own.
Astrid Vella
Jan 3rd 2009, 14:15
While we welcomes Government's commitment to rebuild the Opera House &City Gate, Mark Firman is right,Parliament can be accommodated at a number of different locations.St. Elmo might lack the right sort of spaces,but there are also the Auberge deBaviere &the Mediterranean Conference Centre to consider.
Relocation to the MCC would solve the Prime Minister's dilemma of too many theatres,as the theatre facilities and acoustics of the MCC have never been good enough for large productions which could move up to a National Theatre on the site of the 'Teatru Rjal.This would ensure the financial viability of a new theatre, as the MCC is already fully self-funding, and would be even more profitable,given a more accessible position near public transport.
Moving Parliament to the MCC would also finally lead to the regeneration of lower Valletta which has been neglected for half a century.It would tie in beautifully with the conversion of St. Elmo to a military museum &cultural centre and the building of a hotel at Evan's Laboratory, providing much-needed jobs in this depressed area.It would mean we have a Government that is not going for piecemeal solutions but for a regeneration of Valletta that shows vision and courage.