Peter Farrugia explores identity, artistry and next year’s Valletta Baroque Festival premiere with the Manoel Theatre’s artistic director, Kenneth Zammit Tabona.

Ask a roomful of people to define the word ‘baroque’ and no two answers will be alike. Some people immediately envision ornately curlicued interiors, others think of the period’s tortuous metaphors and allegorical literature – the idea that “too much is never enough”.

The baroque has profoundly influenced our cultural psyche to the extent that everything we create contains a baroque element

Yet against allegations of being “busy”, “contrived” or “pompous”, the work of musical geniuses like Albinoni, Vivaldi, Bach and Handel still command the hearts of today’s discerning audiences.

In fact, there’s been something of a baroque music renaissance in recent decades. Mostly centred around northern Europe and America, people have rediscovered a rich tradition of baroque opera. There’s a renewed appreciation for the period’s musical history, its unique instruments and the talents of modern countertenors (who fill the operatic roles once sung by castrati).

Audiences are now interested in music that combines beauty with an underlying structure, a pleasure for the mind as well as the ear.

People fortunate enough to be unfamiliar with baroque music have a wonderful journey in store, and it’s the goal of individuals like Kenneth Zammit Tabona, the Manoel Theatre’s artistic director, to bring Malta’s baroque legacy back home.

“The idea behind the festival is a natural progression of our national historical environment,” says Zammit Tabona. “The baroque has profoundly influenced our cultural psyche to the extent that everything we create contains a baroque element, which is why it’s surprising that we have no real tradition of baroque music here.

“It just felt obvious to create an ongoing festival that celebrates the baroque nature of Valletta and the baroque nature of the Manoel Theatre.”

The Manoel is the 12th oldest theatre in the Registry of Historical Theatres in Europe, and the only one distinguished by its use as a national theatre. It was in homage to this living heritage that Zammit Tabona and his team decided on a baroque festival, commensurate with the dignity of the theatre.

“In other countries these spaces are treated with kid gloves but in Malta we’ve got no such inhibitions,” smiles Zammit Tabona. “Decor, ambiance, it’s all there to be used and come alive. It’s not meant to be a museum.”

The response has already been massive and confidence in the Valletta Baroque Festival has seen it secure a place as a budgetary item. Finding further funding and dedicated sponsors is a priority, but considering the prestige the festival is bound to bring, Zammit Tabona is sure that the festival will prove its mettle.

“Everyone is going through difficulties financially and the first items hit are normally cultural. But the festival budget remained intact, in spite of all that.

“With January always a lean month I thought about the way Venice, 25 years ago, created a carnival to fill that void. So there was a perfect place for it in our calendar too, with the Manoel prepared to create a glamorous baroque festival in that month, a southern festival in the middle of winter that will attract all sorts of visitors.”

Valletta is set to begin its term as EU Capital of Culture in January 2017 and Malta’s EU presidency will begin in January 2018. “They will coincide perfectly and by then, there will be even more going on and the Valletta Baroque Festival should be really established.”

The festival will begin with Vivaldi’s Four Seasons at the Grandmaster’s Palace, performed by local violinist Carmine Lauri and the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra. Celebrated countertenor David Hansen will join the orchestra for a performance at the Manoel, including a sumptuous rendition of Bach’s recently rediscovered opera Zanaida, in full baroque costuming and authentic staging. The Manoel will also host a Maltese adaptation of Moliere’s Don Juan, under the direction of Chris Gatt.

Although the Manoel is central to the festival, performances will be spread over two weeks in a variety of venues. A group of international musicians will play Bach cantatas in St John’s Co-Cathedral (“the Mediterranean’s answer to Westminster Abbey,” says Zammit Tabona) and a performance by the Combattimento Consort Amsterdam will be held in the Jesuit Church (“which has been maintained in its pristine state”).

There’ll also be music by the New Century Baroque ensemble, featuring violinist Nadia Debono, in the same venue.

Audiences can look forward to Les Talens Lyriques performing Handel’s Terpsichore, and The King’s Consort (one of the world’s top baroque ensembles) playing a collection of arias sung by Maltese baroque soprano Claire Debono.

“We plan to use buildings that haven’t seen much activity and showcase music that fits there, sacred music of the period.”

The organisers have enjoyed abundant cooperation with the local council and the venues themselves, including assistance from the Malta Tourism Authority.

“What this will really achieve, and we need to work on this, is educating the public and proving to them that the baroque idiom is not alien. It’s part of our Maltese identity.”

Talking about the programme itself, Zammit Tabona says, “locally, people go for what’s being played more than for who’s playing it. What’s important is selecting pieces, not necessarily people. The programme is of paramount importance and Brian Schembri, our musical director, is hard at work on the best possible selection.”

In bringing baroque music to Malta through an internationally collaborative festival, the Manoel is holding a mirror to Maltese identity – it’s a new look at the old realities we’ve come to take for granted, jaded by familiarity.

As an integral element of the local idiom, the baroque has maintained an uneasy truce with more recent trends and innovations.

Perhaps it’s time to rediscover the importance of baroque culture, with a musical legacy that (in the words of baroque composer Johann Fux) “aims at the sublime, but moves in a natural and ordered way – a true combination of brilliant ideas and consummate workmanship”.

Further information, contact details and advance booking are available at the festival website, www.vallettabaroquefestival.com.mt.