The fifth edition of the Valletta International Baroque Music Festival hits our capital, Valletta, on Thursday at 7.30pm. It will be heralded with due fanfare in the comparatively modest but cosy Ta’ Ġieżu church with music for trumpet and strings by the Concerto de’ Cavalieri from Italy.

On Friday evening, the glorious environs of St John’s Co-Cathedral will see the festival’s very significant first big bang with the famed French Ensemble Correspondances performing Marc-Antoine Charpentier’s Te Deum, the prelude to which is so closely associated with the Eurovision Radio and TV network.

The latter reminds one of the network of EU member states and just as Malta took over its presidency last week, this edition is a tribute to Malta’s tenure. It bears reminding that coupled with the Te Deum there will be a performance of Henri Du Mont’s Cinque Motets pour la Chapelle du Roi, the only complete set of which is to be found at Mdina Cathedral Museum.

Meeting festival artistic director Kenneth Zammit Tabona gives one a lot of insight about the various aspects of this festival. He confesses that he never expected the festival to grow as it did, following the great success it has registered while it continues to increase in appeal and audience participation.

“Usually a festival needs a good five years to get well established with the local and foreign public. Yet it went well from the start and not only maintained high standards but strives to go even higher. Some of Europe’s best and biggest names from the world of baroque music interpreters have taken part and the added satisfaction is that many want to return. Some have and there is a waiting list going to 2019 and beyond,” he says.

It all started with the Bach/Handel/Scarlatti tercentenary year in 1985 when Zammit Tabona, then a colleague of mine singing in a local choir, took part in a concert at St John’s with music by Bach in which two choirs took part. I remember him saying that “with St John’s, the Manoel and so many other baroque venues in the city something should be done. The City is crying out loud for a festival of baroque music”.

Malta’s music lovers were brought up on romantic music and opera. The various cappelle were their exponents with sacred music ending sounding more like opera. Native baroque composers were sidelined and, before research brought them back to life, hardly anybody knew of or heard music by Abos, Zerafa, Mikielanġ Vella and Azzopardi.

He said that he was very glad to say that during various editions of the festival, music by these composers has been performed.

Usually a festival needs a good five years to get well established with the local and foreign public. Yet it went well from the start and not only maintained high standards but strives to go even higher

Zammit Tabona says that he would have liked to initiate the festival in 2012, but it was only in 2013 that he persuaded the powers that be that this would be a worthwhile project.

January is a shoulder month in tourism. Involved as he is with the artistic direction of the Manoel Theatre, he programmed the latter’s 2012-2013 music season in such a way as to leave a two-week space for the festival performances.

HayMarket Opera, performing San Giovanni Battista by Alessandro Stradella. Photo: Manoel Theatre

Fingers were crossed, the culture, tourism and finance ministries gave their support and with vigorous marketing locally and abroad the plunge was taken and the rest is history.

The festival now generates something like €7 million what with flights, accommodation, ticket sales, meals, tours and so on.

A matter of pride is that the world-renowned Centre Musique Baroque de Versailles, the epitome of astral quality as a centre of the study and performance of French baroque music is returning with its puppet theatre and a parody of Lully’s Atys.

Two performances at the Manoel on Saturday and Sunday are bound to repeat the huge success of their parody of Rameau’s Hippolyte et Aricie in 2014. The latter had been premiered in Malta and scored a great success when touring abroad.

Jean Baptiste-Racine’s Phedre et Oenone. Photo: D. Tombarel

“Since I believe that every festival should have its resident ensemble, I pushed for the setting up of the Valletta International Baroque Ensemble (VIBE),” says Zammit Tabona.

“This consists of local musicians with a number of foreign ones, experienced and trained in baroque technique and interpretation using period instruments or copies thereof.

“Our musicians have all had a classical education but have gradually grown to tackle this style and technique very well. Some have even bought their own instruments and VIBE grows from strength to strength every year.

“The ensemble takes part in every edition and this year features in a concert at St Augustine’s church on January 21 at 12.30pm and closing the festival at the Manoel Theatre with Music Fit for a King with Handel’s Water Music (for George I of England) and Music for the Royal Fireworks (for his son George II),” he adds.

Believing that there is a great affinity between baroque and contemporary, Zammit Tabona always caters for a concert of music by post-baroque composers inspired by the older music.

“They are both innovative and experimental. Therefore, such works by Päart, Respighi and Piazzolla will feature at the Manoel on January 26. Apart from these works, keeping with an established trend, a new work was commissioned from Reuben Pace, whose Concertino for Guitar, Harpsichord and Orchestra will be given its world premiere during this concert.”

Local and foreign star performers are many. Among the former are Lucia Micallef and French violinist Nicolas Dautricourt in transcriptions of music of Johann Sebastian Bach by Russian composers (Manoel, January 22), Charlene Farrugia and Italian Nazareno Ferruggio (harpsichord) in Chorales in Counterpoint (Manoel, January 24), violinist Carmine Lauri and harpsichordist Joanne Camilleri in Inspired by Baroque (Manoel, January 26) and soprano Claire Debono with Les Ambassadeurs in operatic arias by Henry Purcell (Manoel, January 24 at 12.30pm).

Photo: D. Tombarel

Debono returns to sing Susanna at the Manoel in Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro (February/March) and next year returns to the festival to sing with the return visit of the Ghislieri Choir and Consort.

The two performances by the Haymarket Opera Company of Alessandro Stradella’s San Giovanni Battista (St John’s Oratory, January 23) have been sold out for a long time. Youngsters have not been forgotten because there is a Toi Toi Treasure Hunt for all the family (Manoel, January 22 at 3pm).

There is much more in store for audiences. Valletta being chosen as European Capital of Culture adds a special dimension to the 2018 edition which is already planned.

“It is my fervent hope that this festival continues to maintain its sustainability establishing a cultural legacy which will carry on,” says Zammit Tabona.

“Nobody is eternal and the important thing is to hone the role of artistic direction and to hand over this legacy when the time comes. It is important that the crucial role of artistic direction is clearly understood. Having been a visual artist provides one with the experience which greatly contributes to the balance, style and harmony one strives for,” he concludes.

www.vallettabaroquefestival.com

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