This year’s Valletta International Baroque Festival is halfway through with one week of eclectic concerts successfully over. The Festival is hosting 25 different events over 15 days in nine different Valletta venues.

Undoubtedly one of the highlights of the festival is always the concert at the majestic St John’s Co-Cathedral which is taking place on today at 7.30pm. This year’s is extra special as it features one of the stars of the baroque world, Philippe Herreweghe who is conducting the Collegium Vocale Gent in the concert entitled, Du Treuer Gott featuring Bach’s Cantatas.

Collegium Vocale Gent has grown organically into an extremely flexible ensemble whose wide repertoire encompasses a range of different stylistic periods. Its greatest strength is its ability to assemble the ideal performing forces for any project. Today, Collegium Vocale performs this music with a small ensemble in which the singers take both the chorus and solo parts. Under Herreweghe’s direction, Collegium Vocale Gent has built up an impressive discography with more than 80 recordings, most of them with the Harmonia Mundi France and Virgin Classics labels.

Mr Herreweghe’s energetic, authentic and rhetorical approach to baroque music has made him one of the most sought-after artists of his time. Over the years he has built up an extensive discography of more than 100 recordings with numerous different ensembles, on such labels as Harmonia Mundi France, Virgin Classics and Pentatone and has received numerous European awards for his consistent artistic imagination and commitment. In 1990 the European music press named him Musical Personality of the Year.

The St John’s Co-Cathedral programme includes J.S. Bach’s Cantate BWV 103 Ihr werdet weinen und heulen, Cantata BWV 115 Mache dich mein Geist, bereit and Cantata BWV 101 Nimm von uns, Herr, du treuer Gott and Buxtehude’s BuxWV78 Nimm von uns, Herr, du treuer Gott.

The festival continues up to Saturday and includes concerts by VIBE (Valletta International Baroque Ensemble) at St Paul’s Anglican Cathedral tomorrow at 7.30pm, lutist Andrea Martin at All Souls church on Friday at 12pm and Beatles Go Baroque on Saturday at the Manoel also at noon.

The festival ends with the tradition ball on Saturday when the Manoel is transformed into a majestic ballroom at 9pm.

Tickets can be purchased from www.teatrumanoel.com.mt or www.vallettabaroquefestival.com.

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