This year’s Evenings on Campus programme features the Jeune Orchestre Atlantique in a concert dedicated to Franz Schubert and Nicolò Isouard. Rachel Agius talks to artistic director Ruben Zahra.
Ruben Zahra, artistic director for the upcoming Nicolò Isouard-Franz Schubert concert being given by the Jeune Orchestre Atlantique, is no stranger to Mediterranean music or to its modern-day expression.
I’ve been organising festivals and cultural events for over 15 years and I can’t stress the importance of structured funding strongly enough
His brainchild, Soundscapes, is a cultural organisation committed to the survival of Maltese music in all its forms, with a focus on education, the development of local music as a product and cultural events that aim to make local music more accessible and bring it closer to a contemporary public.
Now, Soundscapes – thanks to the Eur Text project and Evenings on Campus – will be bringing the works of Schubert and Isouard to life. As to be expected from Zahra, who through his contribution in projects like Għanafest and Etnika has re-shaped our thoughts about ‘traditional’ music within a contemporary setting, the classic composers’ works will get atotally fresh interpretation for this particular performance.
“In the field of music, the interpretation of ancient works has taken a considerable importance in the artistic contemporary life,” Zahra says.
The works of Isouard, dating to the end of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th,will be the subject of one such contemporary interpretation.
The first part of the concert programme will feature overtures and arias from the operas Médecin Turc (1803) and Les Rendez Vous Bourgeois (1807) by Isouard, conducted by Catherine Puig.
The second half of the concert will present Schubert’s Symphony No. 9 in C major known as The Great, a piece of music with an intriguing story of its own.
“In 1838, 10 years after Schubert’s death, Robert Schumann discovered this symphony stacked at the house of Schubert’s brother. At Schumann’s request, Mendelssohn conducted the work’s premiere in Leipzig on March 21, 1839.Schumann declared that there had been nothing like this since that last of Beethoven’s symphonies,” Zahra says.
“The craftsmanship of this symphony is formidable. Though romantic in temper, it is in some respects the last great classical symphony.”
Bringing it all together is the Eur Text project. Supported by the European Commission’s culture programme, it encourages the exploration of ancient art works, from the perspective of different disciplines. Through reinterpretation, restoration and transposition to new artists, these works can reach a wider audience through modern means.
“A play on the German word ‘urtext’, meaning ‘original text’, the project focuses on taking that original text, along with the author’s creative intention, and developing something new. Preserving the original work is crucial, allowing others to appropriate it from its purest form.”
The project essentially creates a dialogue between past and present while safeguarding the opportunity for future interchange.
“The leading organisation behind it is Abbaye aux Dames de Saintes in France, a music academy specialising in the interpretation of classical music on period instruments.
“The two other partners, besides Soundscapes, are the Janácek Academy of Music and Performing Arts in Brno, Czech Republic and the Strzeminski Academy of Art in Łódz, Poland,” Zahra says.
The project has brought together individuals and groups involved in the arts and other professionals who might not often get the opportunity to work together – people such as educational and cultural managers, academics and teachers – to combine their skills and research.
“EU funding is a valuable key to access financial support. I’ve been organising festivals and cultural events for over 15 years and I can’t stress the importance of structured funding strongly enough,” says Zahra.
Besides Eur Text, the concert was in fact also supported by local funding schemes such as the Malta Arts Fund, Cultural Contact Point Malta, the University of Malta, the Manoel Theatre with the International Valletta Baroque Music Festival and the MCAST Institute of Art and Design.
Without this widespread support, a concert of this magnitude would not have been possible. Getting the Jeune Orchestre Atlantique to Malta involves flying the 50-strong French orchestra to the island, together with their instruments – no mean feat from a financial and logistical perspective.
It is here that Zahra’s expertise and experience proves to be invaluable. The musician has worked extensively on international projects and his practical knowledge is one of the prime ingredients that helped make the concert a reality.
A particular aspect of the concert that Zahra is looking forward to involves the use of period instruments, an important element for a performance of this genre.
“Jeune Orchestre Atlantique specialises in interpreting classical music on period instruments to portray a historically authentic orchestral sonority,” says Zahra.
“Being part of the orchestra offers the opportunity to young musicians towards the end of their higher education to interpret classical and romantic repertoires on period instruments through a training programme that is unique in Europe.”
Collaboration is the key to events of this magnitude. The Evenings on Campus initiative has offered local culture enthusiasts myriad productions for these past 20 years and this performance looks set to be another feather in its cap.
Isouard - Schubert – The Great is being held next Sunday at Atriju Vassalli, University of Malta, Msida. Tickets at €8 are available at the door; from the Communications and Alumni Relations Office on campus; by sending an e-mail on eveningsoncampus@um.edu.mt; by calling 2340 2043/2142 or by SMS on 7984 3480.
www.um.edu.mt/eveningsoncampus