The opera Zanaida is a curious piece, enshrouded in mystery.
Composed by Johann Christian Bach, son of famed musical genius Johann Sebastian Bach, it was first performed in London in 1763 and, when the King’s Theatre burnt down 20 years later, the score was destroyed in the fire.
Thought to be lost, one other copy had survived in the composer’s private collection, passing from hand to hand until it resurfaced in 2010.
French orchestra Opera Fuoco, which is in Malta for the Baroque festival, is the first ensemble to perform Zanaida since Bach’s time, at the Manoel Theatre at 7.30pm tonight.
“Johann Christian is one of the most important composers to popularise the tradition of the bel canto, a style of writing specifically for the voice,” conductor and Opera Fuoco founder David Stern said.
“His father was the dominant musician of the Baroque era and it’s very clear Johann Christian wanted to get away from his father’s influence. He wanted to write lighter music, to reach his audience more easily.
“The arias are shorter, the contrasts are very extreme and it’s all about keeping the interest of the public.
“You can almost hear Johann Christian saying: ‘I can’t bore my audience. I don’t want to be like the old guys. I want to be new.’ There’s something very fresh about that.”
The opera is a story about a Persian prince who, despite being engaged to a Turkish princess, falls in love with someone else.
The Turkish princess, Zanaida, finds her husband-to-be plotting against her while his mother tries to take power over the court.
“The role of Zanaida is beautifully written. She is a princess and expects to be treated as one. She puts the State before her own private feelings.
“It’s a very elegant and noble role and she sings with beautiful pathos. She has an aria at the end of the second act that is one of the most beautiful written in the 18th century.”
The 25-piece orchestra makes use of accurate reproductions of late Baroque instruments, allowing the audience to experience the opera precisely as it sounded like in Bach’s time.
“Modern instruments are like a fruit smoothie – you put in strawberries and bananas but at the end you wouldn’t know exactly what you had put into it. A symphonic orchestra sounds like one big beautiful colour,” Mr Stern said.
“Baroque instruments are like a fruit salad – you can still taste each individual fruit. That’s the difference between the two. I love the grittiness of Baroque instruments.
“You don’t fall asleep listening to Baroque instruments and the musicians don’t fall asleep playing them. Because they’re so hard to play they need to be constantly focused.”
Mr Stern also waxed lyrical about the Manoel Theatre.
“Manoel Theatre is a jewel of European opera. The hall itself embraces the music. It has a way of making everything sound easy and natural. It is truly a pleasure to perform in such a theatre.
“When you have a jewel like the Manoel Theatre it’s not a question of it being a good idea to have a Baroque festival, but it’s almost a responsibility to have a Baroque festival.”