Voices of the people on the Opera House (2)

I do not want to comment on Piano's plans - whether, as a Maltese tax-paying citizen, I approve of them is another matter. But I do want to comment on the realities of an open-air theatre.

In my career of around three decades as Malta's acknowledged leading bass singer, I was asked to participate in many open-air concerts, including a number in the prime open-air venues - the San Anton Gardens and the piazza fronting Mdina Cathedral. I remember very few when external conditions did not impinge, at times dramatically, on the quality and enjoyment of the performance.

A project cannot be justified on the rationale that open-air venues in historical ruins like the Terme di Caracalla do well. Malta is a small island in the middle of the Mediterranean and consequently, with its specific climatic conditions and its particular demographical, religious and social situations. In the context of a permanent open-air theatre, these factors may require a careful assessment before scarce resources are committed to such a project.