So much is going on in our little country that it is impossible to be everywhere for every musical event.

Some time ago there was the un-usual and most welcome presence of the Junge Philharmonie of Vienna, directed by the very dynamic Dionysis Grammenos.

Consisting of a full orchestra with members from Austria and several other countries, these young people are already well-seasoned performers in the best Viennese tradition.

They were here to perform in aid of the Malta Community Chest Fund. There was also a local musical contribution to both concerts which were held at the Manoel.

The first concert featured a Haydn rarirty – the overture to his opera L’isola disabitata, rescued from obscurity and performed in true Sturm und Drang style.

Sticking to Haydn the concert continued with soprano Miriam Cauchi giving a full-blooded rendering of the  Scena di Berenice, later adapting herself very smoothly to idiom and style in Joseph Vella’s haunting and deeply felt Il-Kebbies tal-fanali.

The young members of the orchestra are well-seasoned performers in the best Viennese tradition

In the meantime, various elements of the orchestra performed Schönberg’s arrangement of Luigi Denza’s Funiculí funiculà, Schubert’s Ständchen and Sioly’s very folksy Weil I’ a alter Draher bin.

The concert ended with Mozart’s exquisite Clarinet Concerto. It was very beautifully performed by Daniel Ottensamer, first clarinet of the Wiener Philharmoniker. It was rendered with more than an inside rapport and understanding considering the fact that Grammenos himself is no mean clarinettist.

It was all sparkle and joy in Nicolai’s overture to his best known opera Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor sounding as merry as possible as those chattering, intriguing wives!

Mahler’s two sections of Nachtmusik from the Seventh Symphony were performed separately.

The first one sounded a bit uncertain where some of the winds was concerned but picked up at once and the second part was even better.

In between these pieces, there was another Maltese contribution to the evening by soprano Nicola Said who in her by now familiar inimitable style and musical elegance sang two of Richard Strauß’s best-loved songs Ständchen and Morgen.

The other Maltese singer this evening was the promising statuesque mezzo-soprano Christine Dalli who in excerpts from incidental music to Schubert’s Rosamunde Princess of Cyprus sang the romanza Der Vollmond strahlt auf Bergeshöh’n.

The other parts of the selection started off with a finely rendered Zauberharfe Overture and included Ballet music N. 1 and Entr’actes 2 and 1.