Patrons who will be attending the Bir Miftuħ Festival, which this year runs in its 19th edition, will have the privilege of enjoying quality music in the unique medieval surroundings of the chapel of Santa Marija ta’ Bir Miftuħ.
The chapel, located in Gudja, was built in around 1430 and is one of the best preserved examples of 15th-century parish churches in Malta.
It was declared a parish in 1436 by Bishop Senatore de Mello and served as such until 1676 when the parish church of Gudja was built. It has a plain rectangular plan and measures about 11 by 14 metres.
The remains of a fresco covering the inside western wall were discovered between 1978 and 1980 having been previously covered by six layers of lime.
Our Lady of Bir Miftuħ.The fresco depicts The Last Judgement and is divided in three tiers of figures. On the north wall is the image of a woman in costume holding a lily in one hand and pointing to the main painting with the other.
She wears clothes fashionable during the beginning of the 16th century and is probably a benefactress from the Bonici family whose emblem is a lily.
The frescoes were restored by George Farrugia, Istituto del Restauro, Roma.
The chapel was entrusted to Din l-Art Ħelwa in 1970 and offers the ideal setting for the classical music festival which has been held regularly in late spring since 1997. This year being Din l-Art Ħelwa’s Golden Jubilee year, the festival is offering four evenings of quality music.
The first concert takes place on Friday and has the support of the ADRC Trust, which was founded by the Chalmers family to commemorate their late son and brother Alistair.
The chapel is probably one of the best-preserved examples of 15th-century parish churches in Malta
Works by Duvernoy, Reinecke, Brahms, Granados, de Falla, Buyanowski and Mompou will be performed by ‘The Conrads in Concert’ featuring Elizabeth Conrad on the piano, Maria Conrad on the violin and José Garcia Gutierrez on horn. The concert is already fully booked.
The second concert takes place on May 23 with the support of the Embassy of France and Alliance Française de Malte and features the String Ensemble Cincievski. The ensemble will perform George Onslow’s String Quintet No. 11 Op. 33 and No. 12 Op. 34.
The third concert takes place on May 30 and will see the Musica Nova Duo, Massimo de Bonfils on the violin and Luca Minervino on the guitar, entertain the public with excerpts from operas by Gioacchino Rossini.
The Musica Nova Duo comes with the support of the Istituto Italiano di Cultura under the patronage of the Embassy of Italy, within the frame of the activities for the promotion Expo Milano 2015 and in collaboration with the Conservatorio di Santa Cecilia.
The fourth concert will close the festival on June 13 with a guitar and flute duo made up of Liat Cohen, (winner of the Boulanger Prize) on guitar and conductor Eyal Ein Habar on the flute.
The concert is taking place under the patronage of the Embassy of Israel, participating for the first time at the festival. The duo will perform works by Giuliani, Zequinha de Abreu and Villa Lobos.
All concerts start at 8pm. Tickets for each concert cost €20 per person and include a reception after the performance in the medieval chapel’s grounds. Block tickets for the three concerts and receptions cost €50 per person. Tickets for two concerts and receptions cost €35 per person.
For further information contact Din l-Art Ħelwa on 2122 5952 or 2122 0358 or send an e-mail to info@dinlarthelwa.org.