Spectacles and space

The Malta Philharmonic Orchestra makes music accessible once again through its annual offering of Movie Spectacular and the family-oriented Icarus at the Edge of Time.

Celebrating another edition of Movie Spectacular, the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra (conducted by Kevin Abela) offered a selection of wholehearted musical fare, including fan favourites from film scores across the decades.

The Malta Philharmonic Orchestra is a major motivating force for a new generation of musicians

The Mediterranean Conference Centre hosted a line-up of overtures and songs from classic cinema (Lawrence of Arabia, La vita è bella) and popular blockbusters (Troy, Pearl Harbour and Robin Hood).

A series of duets included A Whole New World from Aladdin and Come What May from Moulin Rouge.

One of the evening’s highlights was a pitch-perfect rendition of Elton John’s Can You Feel the Love Tonight sung by Janvil.

Lights dimmed, seats filled, and the magic of a symphony in full swing took over. The music was interspersed with a narrator’s monologue, quoting bits of poetry, prose and a sometimes quite lengthy preamble to each piece.

The voice-over was generally, successful though there could have been less of it, to greater effect. It was hardly necessary, because the musical selection was evocative enough, animated by a highly talented orchestra and some of the island’s best established and newcomer singing talent.

Petra Micallef sang Faith Hill’s There You’ll Be with plenty of energy, dominating the stage with her powerful voice and impressive presence.

It’s clear one of the things that keeps audiences coming back to Movie Spectacular, year after year, is the way this event offers accessible music in a premium setting.

There aren’t the potential pitfalls you might get with baroque or classical pieces, which can alienate some people. On the contrary, this sort of music encourages easy recognition with a big number of patrons.

If you’ve watched the film, you’ll get the reference and you’ll enjoy hearing it played live. Even the songs, rather than innovative, were by and large pure reproductions of their on-screen parallels. Everything that was played prompted a memory from one film or another, creating moments of genuine pleasure.

The evening concluded with Hans Zimmer’s theme from Gladiator and the encore was an attempt at Cohen’s Hallelujah, unexpected but not entirely flawless. Generally, this was a pleasant enough evening of popular music that brought an experience of orchestral music to people who might otherwise forgo the pleasure.

Kevin Abela’s blending of cinema magic and orchestra savvy is a local niche that seems to work and will no doubt go on entertaining audiences for a long time.

Another of the Malta Conference Centre’s Malta Philharmonic Orchestra offerings, Icarus at the Edge of Time combined epic storytelling, experimental film-making and extraordinary music to create an unforgettable theatrical experience for the whole family.

Narrated by Sarah Spiteri and conducted by Michael Laus, the story reinvents the ancient Greek myth of Icarus. Set far into the future on a journey deep in space, a boy genius disregards his father’s warnings and escapes in a small spacecraft, flying too close to a mysterious black hole. Time distends and space contracts, and when the boy finally escapes the pull of the black hole several aeons have passed – he’s left alone, surrounded by a strange and daunting world.

The film itself, produced by Al+ Al studio, was an exceptional combination of byzantine-looking images and coldly expansive horizons. These were carefully layered with animation of the actors themselves.

Kaleidoscopic pictures fell together in time with the music, created by incomparable composer Philip Glass (whose Akhnaten is one of this reviewer’s favourite modern opera). The event was a perfect expression of different talents centred around a core story, and together they worked beautifully.

Spiteri began the evening by describing the orchestra, greeted by enthusiastic cheers from the children in the audience. One interesting addition to the instruments on display was an anvil, struck repeatedly to create the metallic heartbeat of the story’s spacecraft.

Presenting these family-friendly shows (that clock in somewhere around 40 minutes) is an excellent way to get children excited about music, and interested in joining the School of Music. By encouraging an awareness of, and familiarity with the orchestra, we are opening doors for young people to discover a new passion and gain access to experienced teachers.

Sharing a love of music, the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra is a major motivating force for a new generation of musicians and thanks to the Mediterranean Conference Centre, regular musical events have become a valued part of many people’s cultural lives.

By offering accomplished and innovative events like Movie Spectacular and Icarus at the Edge of Time, people who might never have had the chance to hear Glass or appreciate an orchestra in full swing (playing a song from one of their favourite films) are finally granted access to the finest in Maltese musical entertainment.