From Madama Butterfly to the soundtrack of Alien: Isolation, critically-acclaimed conductor Natalie Murray Beale’s repertoire is as diverse as they come. She speaks to Iggy Fenech about conducting the national orchestra in the upcoming concert with the national orchestra.

The Malta Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO) will be backing up Cliff Zammit Stevens in his upcoming concert. At its helm there will be the highly-acclaimed Australian conductor Natalie Murray Beale in her first-ever concert on our shores.

Natalie and the MPO, along with Cliff, guest soprano Hannah Sandison and the Amadeus Chamber Choir promise a magical night at Pjazza Teatru Rjal in Valletta.

“The concert is a rich programme of lyrical music that is diverse and uplifting, power-ful and stirring,” says Natalie, who has been acclaimed as “exceptional”, “charming” and “vigorous” and having “Mozartian grace” by critics.

“The programme will in-clude beautiful songs by Tosti and some full-blooded Puccini arias, but there will also be more intimate moments such as Monteverdi’s Pur ti miro from Poppea and Dido’s heart-wrenching Lament,” she says.

“The programme aims to showcase our two fantastic soloists and, what we’re hoping for, is to open the door to many operatic gems with a few surprises along the way.”

Natalie’s career began as a pianist and her first job was as part of the musical staff of the Welsh National Opera. After winning a conducting scholarship with the London Symphony Chorus she became their guest director and over the years she has worked with numerous renowned conductors, including Sir Colin Davis, Daniele Gatti and Valery Gergiev, among others.

What we’re hoping for is to open the door to many operatic gems

As Natalie tells me, it was her studies with teacher Jorma Panula that really opened doors for her and, today, she is being mentored by Esa-Pekka Salonen, the principal conductor and artistic advisor of the Philharmonia Orchestra in London and the conductor laureate of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, as part of a BBC Fellowship.

Moreover, she has also conducted the soundtrack to Gillian Anderson and Ben Kingsley’s upcoming film Robot Overlords and the soundtrack to the videogame spin-off of one of the world’s most famous film franchises – both of which are due out later this year.

“While conducting my first Madama Butterfly was an important step for me, I have to admit that one of the most fun experiences was conducting the soundtrack to the Alien: Isolation video game,” she says. “Working with amazing musicians on epic music, all while watching a video screen of a scary alien coming towards me, was great!”

Although this will be Natalie’s first time in Malta, the concert is bound to go off with quite a bang as she will be conducting Malta’s national orchestra at one of the island’s most sought-after venues, the Renzo Piano-redesigned Pjazza Teatru Rjal.

“I do love performing outdoors and feeling the air around me,” she says. “More than that, however, I love the way the music sounds in an outdoor venue as opposed to being in a concert hall or a traditional theatre.

“Sometimes you can hit on the perfect atmosphere for the music with this change of scene and I hope the audience will enjoy coming to such a beautiful venue as much as I am sure I will enjoy playing in it.”

Following her debut on Malta’s musical, cultural and operatic scenes, Natalie will once again jet set around the world for her many commitments. Her first stop will be the Paris Opera, where she will assist Esa-Pekke Salonen on Bleubeard’s Castle and La Voix Humaine.

Later, she will make her conducting debut with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic in the UK and, finally, it’s off to The Dallas Opera.

In the interim, Natalie will continue working closely with Cliff and the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra to ensure a truly noteworthy concert for the audience.

And, as she puts it herself: “I don’t think it could have gotten much better for my first concert on this beautiful island.”

The Cliff Zammit Stevens Concert with MPO takes place on Friday at 8pm at Pjazza Teatru Rjal, Valletta with the support of the Malta Tourism Authority. Tickets are available online.

www.ticketline.com.mt