Now that Malta has had a change in Administration, it may be the right time to seriously contemplate rebuilding Valletta’s opera house.

A completed building is far superior to an uncompleted one and it would grace the prestigious entrance to Valletta.

There are various considerations. A stage that served its purpose well between 1866 and 1942 would serve its purpose just as well today in 2013.

The plan could be a meticulous and complete repetition of Edward Middleton Barry’s theatre of the 1860s, with majestic columns, a lovely foyer and a large parterre and stage, having four or five tiers to accommodate a few hundred theatre-goers.

In this fast age, it would promote beautiful music, il bel canto, with operas, operettas and other performances.

The Manoel Theatre would remain a venue for concerts or plays.

We could alternatively turn to the Maltese architect Giuseppe Bonavia’s (1821-1885) plans for this opera house. Under a chapter entitled Architecture, written by the late Leonard Mahoney in 1994, in a book entitled Malta - Culture and Identity (ed. Henry Frendo and Oliver Friggieri), Mahoney writes: “In the records of the PWD there is a project by Bonavia, dated 1859, for the proposed Royal Opera House, in the same light neo-classical style as for his Borsa (in Valletta). Bonavia’s facade had three storeys, or rather two and a high attic, but, otherwise, it was typical of Valletta’ architecture – astylar, with arcading on the ground floor, straight-headed windows on the other floors and robust corner pilasters characteristic of Valletta. Unfortunately, Bonavia’s design was rejected for that by Barry (architect of the Covent Garden Royal Opera House in London). Architect Barry never visited Malta and designed Valletta’s opera house blindly and through information and guesswork. Yet, his design was more than adequate and was indeed prestigious until the opera house was bombed and gutted in 1942.”

Unlike in Trapani, in Sicily, all of Europe’s bombed or gutted opera houses have been rebuilt and restored: in Palermo, Bari, Venice, at the least. Valletta still lacks its precious opera house due to hesitation and half-baked plans by our governments. Valletta’s entrance suffers greatly as a result.

Opera on its own may not be a money maker but can be supplemented by tourists visiting the restored opera house at a fee, as in other countries. The rebuilding of the opera house can be financed from three sources: a special contribution from the European Union, a token contribution from the German Government and a main allocation from the Maltese Government. Before being dismissed, this idea could be studied in depth.

One could hope that by 2018, when Valletta is going to be Europe’s City of Culture, Malta and Valletta will have a restored opera house. The prestige Malta would earn from such a completed project may be incalculable.