The string quartet specialising in new and contemporary music – The Kronos Quartet – are one of the attractions of this year’s Malta Arts Festival.

Many will recognise the quartet from their contribution to the soundtrack to the film Requiem for a Dream (2000).

There is a strong musical element in the arts festival, which is dedicated to Maltese composer Charles Camilleri who passed away two years ago and would have celebrated his 80th anniversary this year.

The opening night on July 1 features one of Camilleri’s last major works for orchestra – the New Idea Symphony, in its Malta premiere after several performances in other countries including Belgium and France.

The Malta Philharmonic Or­ches­tra under the direction of conductor Brian Schembri will also perform Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite and Tchaikovsky’s First Piano Concerto with Ukrainian Oleg Poliansky at the piano.

Cellist Enrico Dindo will perform three of the six Bach Cello Suites following his recent Decca release of the whole set. The Big Band Brothers will present Ftakar, a revival of Maltese popular music from the 1960s and 1970s.

There will be four dance productions: Puerto Flamenco’s new production Ring, featuring Fran­cesca Grima. Austrian contemporary dance ensemble Das Collectif will present Stomping La Luna a dance performance inspired by Carl Orff’s Opera The Moon.

The Barbarossa Project will present a dance performance that was part of the Istanbul ECoC 2010 programme of events.

Mavin Khoo Dance will premiere their latest creation 00.00-00.01. Described by choreographer Khoo as “a new reading of the romantic tragedy Swan Lake”, the production is a collaboration between Maltese and UK dancers.

Italian contemporary theatre ensemble Laboratorio di Castaldo will perform Welcoming the End of the World, a parody of the coming of the end of human life. The performance with its comic twists will contrast well with Shakespeare’s tragic masterpiece Hamlet, from Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in London. The last night of the festival on July 23 features Wayne Marshall who will conduct the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra in Ravel’s Bolero and Orff’s Carmina Burana.

There will also be the annual Strada Wine and Art Festival.

The festival is organised by the Malta Council for Culture and the Arts.

www.maltaartsfestival.org

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