Kristian Bonnici, Fgura
Big Brother or a night at the opera house?
Building the House of Representatives instead of the Old Opera House site seems to be a little bit Pharaonic, and would go against the spirit of a Republic.
Why? First, the people see that space as theirs. Moreover, the Maltese citizens' blind faith in the impeccability of their representatives seems to have diminished. Second, a democracy, which has its foundation in the culture of ancient Greece, ought to give space to the people's leisure just as the Athenian Assembly did for the Athenians. Leisure inspires creativity and innovations: two essential ingredients in further enhancing a democratic post-modern state.
On the other hand if the House of Representatives is situated in such a place where everyone going to Valletta has to see it, it will always remind people of politics - Maltese politics. Now a shrewd Machiavellian politician would always alienate the people as much as possible and hence avoid putting such a symbol where a person entering the capital for shopping, business or work would feel it towering above him - Big Brother is watching you! I am vexed with the raison d'être of having parliament instead of an Opera House because the Mediterranean Conference Centre, the Manoel Theatre and St James Cavalier are not of the standard of a new millennium project.
Presently, many Maltese are working abroad most notably in London and Brussels. My argument is that unlike the Maltese who left in the 1950s and 1960s, the Maltese working abroad today visit the archipelago more often, usually with their friends from abroad, have money to spend and might love to enjoy a night at the opera.
The building of an Opera House coincides with the era of an international Maltese talent; renowned tenor Joseph Calleja, who deserves a better stage to perform in Malta. His contacts, image and international standing might immediately boost the theatre as an international one.
An Opera House would mean more employment especially for people working in the field of culture.
Malta is ideally situated for political conferences on the lines of the quoted strategic objectives. Hence, the dignitaries attending these conferences have to be also impressed and entertained to continue using the good offices of Malta.
The island should eventually be transformed into a hub for dialogue whereby more similar offices would be sponsored, which would in turn generate employment and bring in money.
In the realm of tourism, Malta is competing with titans in the littoral Mediterranean. Thus the tourist should be offered entertainment in all legal spheres. The same applies for the concept of Malta as a business conference centre.
The money-loaded businessmen attending conferences in Malta might enjoy a night at the opera.
Another reason that comes to mind is SmartCity and the eventuality of the continuation of attracting multinational companies. There again, as above, the CEOs, marketing managers, sales managers, PROs, IT.
Engineers and the like have money to spend. Why should they travel to London for a musical? Hence an Opera House please, bigger and more opulent.
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Marvin Bugeja
Feb 2nd 2009, 15:15
@S. Calleja: Quoting from S. Calleja: "And if you think engineers in general are a bunch of opera-lovers, I recommend you check it out first hand before, because you might be in for a big surprise." .... Excuse me S. Calleja, do you have any statistics at hand, to go claiming that us engineers are generally not into opera and the performing arts? Who says so? - I do not have any statistics about the matter either, BUT in contrast I think that in general engineers are highly artistic intellectuals and adore beauty in all its forms. In fact, I think that engineering is inherently about understanding & emulating the beauty of the grandest performance of all time; nature itself ! - How can we not appreciate a good live performance in an opera-house then?
- I agree with the author. Malta needs the Opera House restored NOT the House of Representatives moved!
Giovanni Pace
Jan 31st 2009, 15:59
YES WE DO AGREE with other writers too for an Opera Hse. Think that even though that I'm not Maltese I can give you my humble opinion, I too like your country, because my papa is Maltese married to an Italian family and would like to see you build nice opera house. Mr. Renzo Piano don't go against the wish of the maltese, build an OPERA HOUSE just as they done in Poland and other countries like Germany. They just did build back their former opera house just as they where and they did not build something else.
It's so foolish that your political person think that they can do what they like, you know what we can do, and this you can do it when you vote, if Mr. Gonzi insist. Please don't do your offices, but do what the people want, or otherwise do a referendum.
You have been successful so far, but please don't do something that would ruin you final days which you would regret. Please do something, don't be staborn in your idea's, as others told you you can use either Fort St Elmo or Mediterranean Conference Centre for the Maltese Parliamento.
Chris Ebejer
Jan 30th 2009, 18:45
Dresden rebuilt its own Cathedral with all its splendor as it was magnificently designed in its sublime baroque style after it was destroyed with allied bombing in WW2.
Berlin is experiencing a cultural revival -while the German parliament agreed to demolish the brutal and unpleasant communist glass edifice to instead rebuild its former Prussian Palace of Frederick the 1st.
And since the Germans are bright enough to bestow back to their city these architectural jewels, why is it that our short sighted politicians denying us and our future progeny Barry’s neo classical temple of music?!
Piano should have been given Tignie- Malta Airport, perhaps Portomaso or the Gozo terminal. I’m sure he would have been giving a better artistic taste, but we can’t afford to loose Barry to appoint Piano.
Joe Xuereb (London UK)
Jan 30th 2009, 18:40
Get real!
@ Kristian Bonnici. You seem to be forgetting two crucial points here.
First, you talk of visiting business men, tourist haveing the option of enjoying themselves at the opera. I have lived in London for the best part of half a century. I can count the number of people who were even remotely interested in this art form on the fingers of one hand. To most, opera is tantamount to a dirty word. You talk of going to the opera as if it were a trip to the local cinema. They are two different things.
The second point. In its heyday, the (Royal? for goodness' sake!) Opera House presented productions seasonally, by visiting companies. Usually verging on the amateurish, certainly no truly big names. Big names cost money, then as now. The modern connoisseur of opera today would be a hundred-fold more discerning and demanding. Opera would still need to be seasonal (although it seems we have enough local talent to cast our own). That would not necessarily lessen the cost.
Musicals. More popular. But, with the cost of good productions being what it is, anything other than seasonal would still be prohibitive.
White elephants are no option.
S.Calleja
Jan 30th 2009, 15:22
Mr Bonnici, why would a House of Representatives go against the spirit of a republic? Actually common sense tells me it's the other way round...
Also, your perception of Maltese citizens' love of the art is surreal. If you ever bothered to attend a musical performance at the Manoel Theatre, it's always the same handful of people you will meet. The situation changes completely when the performance is a stand-up comedy, with comedians reciting base and ill-mannered jokes. That's what the Maltese people crowd to, u mela opera!
And, in any case, who will we have as performers? Will it be an opera house dedicated to just Joseph Calleja and a handful of other talents? It works in London because the best artists from over the world flock there to perform. What makes you think that us, a tiny weeny island on the edge of Europe, can ever compete? And if you think engineers in general are a bunch of opera-lovers, I recommend you check it out first hand before, because you might be in for a big surprise.
Emmanuel Marmara'
Jan 30th 2009, 13:34
YES, YES, YES, THIS IS WHAT THE MALTESE WANT..AND THIS IS WHAT THE MALTESE MUST GET..NOTHING ELSE WILL DO.
PLEASE PARLAMENTARIANS DITCH , BURY ONCE AND FOR ALL THE IDEA OF BUILDING A HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ON THIS SITE
vincent a galea
Jan 30th 2009, 11:21
........Yes! An Opera House, please...... and the shell being the magnificent, opulent and striking BARRY plan... Beautiful Warsaw has proudly reproduced its Opera House on the hisorical original plan. I am sure our President who just returned from there saw it....
And, also please, let's get on with it and stop being the laughing stock of our European counterparts. This will cost less money (A COMMODITY BECOMING SCARCER AND SCARCER - may be not for our Government?!!) and we can commence immeditately!