All is set for the first edition of the Valletta Baroque Festival being held between January 9 and 26 at the Manoel Theatre, the Palace, St John’s Co-Cathedral, the Jesuit Church and the Church of All Souls.

The festival will see some of Europe’s top baroque interpreters celebrating Valletta’s baroque identity with 15 performances.

Artistic director Kenneth Zammit Tabona said the festival was “an opportunity and a great challenge”. The performers at the festival were usually seen just on CD racks “so this is a gift to the Maltese people”.

He pointed out that there is a lack of awareness of what baroque is.

Looking around him as he spoke from St John’s Co-Cathedral he said “What you are seeing here will be translated into music.”

Mr Zammit Tabona likened living in Malta without a baroque festival to living in an orange grove without eating oranges.

He noted that in a bid to open up and promote the beauty of baroque music to more people, that the two Sundays in the programme were dedicated to free baroque events for all the family.

Tourism Minister Mario de Marco said that the idea to organise a baroque festival started in summer 2011 during the Summer Festival when it was pointed out that such a festival should not be a one-off.

He hoped that just like the jazz festival, this would become an annual event. The festival would also serve as a build-up to when Valletta become European Cultural Capital in 2018.

An international media campaign to promote the festival has been undertaken by the Malta Tourism Authority in the UK, Germany, Italy, Austria, Belgium and the Netherlands.

The festival programme follows

January 9

Malta Philharmonic Orchestra      President’s Palace                 7.30pm

(This first concert will be in aid of the Malta Community Chest Fund)

January 10

Malta Philharmonic Orchestra    President’s Palace                   7.30pm

January 11

ZANAIDA by Opera Fuoco, Paris Teatru Manoel                 7.30pm

January 12

La Sainte Folie Fantastique      Church of All Souls             7.30pm

January 13

Toi Toi Baroque Bonanza     Teatru Manoel   10.30am /2.30pm
The Goldberg Ensemble & The Anon Ensemble   

             Oratory of St John’s Co-Cathedral                     noon/3.30pm

January 14

The King’s Consort           Teatru Manoel                          7.30pm

January 15

Jeune Orchestre Atlantique    Teatru Manoel           7.30pm

January 16

January 17

January 18

January 19

January 20

January 23

Pimpinone

By Combattimento Consort Amsterdam           Teatru Manoel    7.30pm

January 24

January 25

January 26