The Manoel's finale flourish

The Manoel Theatre's music season, that began so spectacularly back in October with that concert of Portuguese fado, is certainly not going out with a whimper. This month sees a full programme of music of varying genres in both the main theatre and the Sala Isouard.

This evening at 8 p.m. sees a major piano recital in the main theatre, by the accomplished French pianist Céliméne Daudet. She will be playing works by Prokofiev, Rachmaninov and Scriabin. Mlle Daudet is professor for advanced level students at Toulon National Conservatoire. She won a prize in the Jean Francaix International Competition in 1999 and in the Paris European Chamber Music Competition in 2001. This will be Mlle Daudet's second visit to Malta. Two years ago she was invited by the French Embassy to give a two-piano concert at the Manoel Theatre with Maltese pianist Stefan Cassar. Tonight's concert is in collaboration with the French Embassy and the Russian Cultural Centre.

Then on Tuesday next the iconic guitarist Gordon Giltrap will be in concert at the theatre (see page 12).

On May 13 at 8 p.m. the virtuoso clarinetist Robert Plane will join the National Philarmonic Orchestra for a concert of music by 20th-century composers. Mr Plane, who is principal clarinetist with the Welsh National Symphony Orchestra, will play the American composer Aaron Copeland's clarinet concerto.

On the same programme The National Philarmonic Orchestra, under the direction of Mro Michael Laus, will also play works by Charles Ives, Reuben Zahra and Dimitri Shostakovich.

On May 16, this time at 7.30 p.m., there will be a stunning gala concert, featuring the works of Giacomo Puccini. This will be one of the major concerts of the season and will feature the orchestra of the Puccini Festival, at the Torre del Lago Puccini of Tuscany, conducted by Valerio Galli.

The singers will be Alessandra Meozzi, soprano, Fulvio Oberto, tenor, Elmira Veda, soprano and Massimiliano Valleggi, baritone. They will sing selected arias from Puccini operas Manon Lescaut, Madame Butterfly, Edgar, La Boheme, Gianni Schicchi, La Fanciulla del West, Turandot and Tosca.

Two days later, on May 18 at 8 p.m., the Manoel will host yet another major concert, when the world-renowned Puerto Rico-born cellist Emilio Colon, together with Japanese pianist Nariaki Sugiura, will give a recital of music by Claude Debussy, Sergei Rachmaninov, Manuel De Falla, Ernesto Lecuona and Astor Piazzolla.

And we haven't finished yet. On May 27 at 8 p.m. the multi award-winning American pianist Matt Rubenstein will be giving a recital at the Manoel.

This will be a charity concert organised by Discern. Mr Rubenstein will be playing works by Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Reimann, Lutoslawski, J.S. Bach, Goldman and Szymananowski.

Then just one day later on May 28 the cream of the musicians at the School of Music, next door down from the Manoel, will unleash their very special talents on the Manoel's audience, with a free concert in the main theatre.

And as if this wasn't enough of a musical feast, petit fours will be served in the Isouard Room on May 21 at 7.30 p.m. with a concert titled Sun and Snow.