The eighth edition of the Malta Arts Festival will kick off at the end of June, featuring a varied programme of theatre, music, dance and visual arts.
Returning this year are some well-loved and familiar acts: Shakespeare’s Globe is back with The Taming of the Shrew which will be staged on the July 3 and 4; so, too, is Puerto Flamenco – whose passionate rhythms will open the Festival on June 30 nd July 1. And so are those demi-gods of string quartets – the Kronos Quartet – who, this year are celebrating their 40th anniversary – and who will perform on July 2.
Such long-standing relationships make for some interesting collaborations between foreign and local performers. This year, in fact, the Festival will host a number of workshops and residencies – one, by Kronos Quartet, which is open to string quartets, will be held between June 30 and July 2. Another, with members of Wayne McGregor | Random Dance – a workshop for dancers – will be held on July 10 and 11. Applications for both of these are currently open. A third workshop – with members from Shakespeare’s Globe – will be held on July 2 and 4 and is expected to attract directors and actors.
Balancing quality popular acts with lesser-known intriguing work which nevertheless pushes boundaries is one of the things which the Malta Arts Festival does best. So one of this year’s two festival commissions will feature the return of the Big Band Brothers in Ftakar 3, based on the lyrics of poet Joe Friggieri. The performance is expected to draw crowds on 7 July. The other festival commission, Darirari, a show featuring professional international circus performers, local artists and craftsmen, produced by Malta-based Ċirku Malta, aims to create a nouveau cirque with a Mediterranean timbre. Bringing together circus, theatre, fireworks, water, carnival, digital arts, magic and music, the event – to be held on 9, 11 and 12 July – is likely to be one of the most eagerly-awaited at this year’s festival.
In stark contrast to these events’ festive and popular atmosphere, Gwerra, Familti… u Ommi, a monologue written and performed by Pino Scicluna – to be held on 6, 7 and 8 July – is an intimate recounting of the war based on stories of people who, between 1940 and 1945, had to face difficult choices. And Two Room Apartment, a duet performance by Israeli dancers Niv Sheinfeld and Oren Laor – reflects on the relationship of the two dancers as partners in life and creators. The performance – to be held on 10 and 11 July – comes with an 18+ classification.
The sea, islands, boundaries, Malta and the Maltese are a recurring theme in this year’s festival… they surface in Puerto Flamenco’s Isla, Ċirku Malta’s Darirari… and Swim: fragile interventions, a visual arts exhibition curated by Austin Camilleri, which will explore the sea both as a vastness beyond reach and a fierce border. Boundaries, it seems, are there to be crossed. FAR, a dance work by Wayne McGregor for his company Random Dance, explores the relationship between mind and body, showing how the creativity of the mind informs that of the body. To be held on July 13, the show showcases the qualities of the multi award-winning British choreographer who is renowned for his physically testing choreography and ground-breaking collaborations across dance, film, music, visual art, technology and science.
The festival also prides itself on supporting emerging artists. This year, this series will feature the Camilleri-Lucini Duo in a flute and guitar recital on 6 July and a piano recital by Christine Zerafa a week later. Alongside them are concerts by The New Choral Singers who will perform Viva Verdi! on July 6, a concert by oud player and singer Dhafer Youssef on July 10 and such firm favourites as performances by the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra, directed by Michael Laus with soloists Marcelline Agius and Nadia Debono, in a concert themed around the 20th-Century Harpsichord which will be held on July 5. The Malta Philharmonic Orchestra will also close the festival in grand style on July 14 in a concert featuring the popular all-time favourite Rhapsody in Blue, conducted and performed by Wayne Marshall.
The Malta Arts Festival is supported by the Malta Council for Culture and the Arts. Mario Frendo is the artistic director.