Musically, it’s been a very busy October. Well, this practically applies to every month of the cultural calendar, delighting locals and visitors from overseas.

People always remark about the quality and abundance of music which they do not have to travel too far to listen to. I wish I could have covered all there was to cover, but here I am limiting myself to some of the events during the second half of the month.

There was a highly enjoyable recital of baroque music at the Manoel presented by Arts Council Malta and the International Federation of Arts Councils and Agencies.

The concert featured that amazing keyboard wizard, the Iranian-born harpsichordist Mahan Esfahani, who performed with the Valletta International Baroque Ensemble.

I found it very annoying and unfair that the names of the ensemble members were omitted from the printed programme, in which the movements of the various works performed were also omitted.

Apart from being a great performer, Esfahani communicates well with the audience, as he proved when he spoke about the Benda dynasty of Czech composers.  I was hoping he would introduce the ensemble members... As it happens, these were violinists Nadya Debono and Marcelline Agius, cellist Jacob Portelli, double-bass player Michelle Scicluna and Matthew Fenech  on the viola, who took part only in the first work, Samuel Scheidt’s O Nachbar Roland, a 5 giri.

In the Scheidt piece, the harpsichord had no prominent part but that changed with the Concerto Polonaise by Telemann in which the instrument’s presence was felt even more. It continued to increase in the Concerto in D Minor, by Antonín Benda.  Mikel’Anġ Vella’s Sonata N. 6 per 3 violini was a very elegantly projected work.

The concert featured that amazing keyboard wizard, the Iranian-born harpsichordist Mahan Esfahani, who performed with the Valletta International Baroque Ensemble

Esfahani’s brilliance shone most of all when he played the first movement (Allegro) from J.S. Bach’s Concerto N. 1 in D Minor, prior to which he said he would only play the first movement for fear of making the audience hate him for playing too much. Very tongue-in-cheek, of course!

The following evening a most unusual event was the performance by the Bohemia Saxophone Quartet a few blocks away at the Chamber of Commerce. The Czech Consulate-General presented this very accomplished quartet to celebrate the national day of the Czech Republic.

Mahan Esfahani

The sole lady performer, Katerina Pavliková (baritone sax) arranged all the works which she performed with Pavel Fiedler (soprano sax), Antonín Mühlhansl (alto sax) and Pavel Škrna (tenor sax).

They performed with great verve and charm three of Dvorák’s Slavonic Dances, namely N. 8 in G minor, Op. 46, N.8 (furiant), N. 10 in B Major, Op. 72, N. 2, (dumka) and N. 15 in C Major, Op.72, N. 7 (kolo).

Perhaps lesser known, but rather beautiful, was Suk’s Meditation on the old Czech chorale Sv. Vaclav, which was followed by a suite of five well-contrasted dance pieces, Film en Miniature by Martinu. The performance ended with a suite from Bernstein’s immortal and much loved West Side Story, which earned the Bohemia Saxophone Quartet’s much deserved warm plaudits.

In this round-up I cannot but mention how lovely it was to hear, one fine Saturday morning, the St Paul Choral Society directed by Hugo Agius Muscat. The performance found Elisabeth Conrad at the organ during a solemn High Mass at Mdina Cathedral.

The Polish community in Malta was celebrating not only the feast of St John Paul II, but also the 1050th anniversary of Poland’s conversion to Christianity.

Mass was concelebrated by Archbishop Charles Scicluna and other prelates. The main music was Andrea Gabrieli’s Missa Brevis, all sections of which sounded very stylish indeed. Texture was fine and balance was maintained throughout.

This also applied to other music such as J.S. Bach’s Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring, Bruckner’s Locus Iste and Mozart’s Ave Verum.  Soprano Anne-Marie Agius sang a solo in Polish, Czarna Madonna (Black Madonna), a Polish sacred song dedicated to the country’s Protectress.

The Polish and Maltese national anthems were sung in their respective language.