Free Bach concert in Valletta tonight

Johann Sebastian Bach’s repertoire for the cello is among the best-known work for the instrument, but it was only after 40 years of playing the cello that Enrico Dindo got round to recording his works.

When The Sunday Times asked what took him so long, the cellist replied: “You ask why so late; I think it’s still a bit soon. I always had great respect for Bach, which has often translated into reverential fear, and this meant that my performances of Bach’s complete suites have been very rare,” the 46-year old cellist said.

“But a series of circumstances, some of them fortunate, last year, led me to play the complete set more often, record it and film a video,” Mr Dindo said.

Tonight, at 9 p.m., the cellist will be playing Suites 1, 3 and 5 on his 18th century cello at a free concert at St Augustine Church, Valletta, as part of the Malta Arts Festival.

“Since the organisers asked me to play Bach, I asked to play in a special place, because I believe that Bach’s suites for cello need the ideal acoustic conditions.

“The sound needs to hang in the air for as many seconds as possible, as the music is built on polyphony, which works only if I have notes reverberating in the air so that I can play other notes at the same time... that is why I asked to play in a church” Dindo has played at the Malta Arts Festival every year since its inception, and finds the island’s history, land and sea a fascinating mix.