Years ago, a frequent leitmotif often cropped up during my conversations with Kenneth Zammit Tabona. He would say how marvellous it would be to have a festival of baroque music in Valletta.

By 2010, he thought even more seriously about it and in 2013, the first edition of this festival took off. It was a great success.

“Perhaps a little more than I expected,” he says.

Now in its fourth edition, the Valletta International Baroque Festival has become internationally known as it is well marketed and publicity, including word of mouth, has worked wonders. It attracts both local and international audiences.

Festival founder and artistic director Kenneth Zammit Tabona.Festival founder and artistic director Kenneth Zammit Tabona.

“The news that Valletta was chosen as European City of Culture for 2018 gave me added impetus to seek ways and means how to start off on this marvellous venture,” continues Zammit Tabona, who is the festival founder and artistic director.

“The festival is in fact a celebration of Valletta, baroque city par excellence.”

I remarked that with such splendid venues as St John’s Co-Cathedral and the Manoel Theatre, these two alone would have sufficed for the staging of the various events.

Zammit Tabona adds: “Still, there are other baroque venues in Valletta which lend themselves well to the festival events, which is why St Nicholas/All Souls (ta’ l-Erwieħ), ta’ Ġieżu and the Jesuit churches have featured as regular venues, not to mention the neoclassic St Paul’s Anglican pro-Cathedral. This year there was also a lunchtime concert at the National Library which featured Bach’s Goldberg Variations performed by star Iranian harpsichordist Mahan Esfahani yesterday.

This brought to mind certain aspects about programming. This is entirely Zammit Tabona’s domain. He says he avoids repetition but there are weaknesses he could not resist.

“I simply adore the Goldbergs,” he says “and if they are around this time it is in the original version”.

Planning is done far in advance and next year’s programme is already planned as is 2018’s.

The festival is in fact a celebration of Valletta, baroque city par excellence

Regarding themes he says that this could be too restrictive: “The aim is to widen knowledge and appreciation of as many varied composers and works as possible. Yet in previous editions certain composers were highlighted like Rameau in 2014 (250th death anniversary) and Gerolamo Abos (third birth centenary) last year while this year there is Carlo Gesualdo with the 450th anniversary of his birth.”

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Another of Zammit Tabona’s commitments is to ensure that baroque music which is so beautiful is rendered approachable, which it already is since he reckons that many a familiar motif is commonly known without many realising they are humming a baroque piece.

The baroque idiom, which epitomises Valletta, is one which has resulted in a rich heritage.

“There is of course a very rich legacy of baroque sacred music,” he says. “The Mdina Cathedral music archives and those of other churches are witness to that. The festival has been instrumental in the revival of beautiful, hitherto unheard and unknown works. Unfortunately, comparatively few secular works have been handed down to us. However, I am very strongly convinced that there must have been local and foreign composers in Malta who wrote music for the Knights of St John; music which echoed in the Grandmaster’s Palace, the auberges and perhaps even in some local aristocratic houses or those of the small, rich bourgeoisie. Where is this music? I do appeal to any who have any secular music of the period to let these works be studied and listed.”

The VIBMF has become a much looked forward to annual event.

The timing is great because the weather here is comparatively very benign, whereas during January churches and cathedrals in Northern Europe are too cold and expensive to heat.

Besides, baroque music ensembles are more available at this time of the year.

There are over 20 events, including two presented by our own Valletta International Baroque Ensemble, which has already proved its worth and consists of fine local and international musicians. The Malta Philharmonic is also performing baroque-inspired music by 20th-century composers; Joanne Camilleri and Catherine Martin performed some of Bach’s piano and violin sonatas; the popular pianist Roberto Cominati is performing a lunchtime recital at the Manoel on Saturday at 11.30am; while St John’s co-Cathedral will resound to the incomparable Belgian Collegium Vocale Gent performing Bach and Buxtehude on Monday at 7.30pm.

The Venetian (of course) La Serenissima ensemble will present three concerts one of which, Vivaldi’s Four Seasons at the Manoel on Monday is already sold out.

“By the way,” concludes Zammit Tabona, “should the weather play tricks we have for sale souvenir umbrellas with the festival logo in Manoel Theatre green.”

• More information may be obtained online at http://vallettabaroquefestival.com.mt .

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