Everyone should be able to go to the theatre to listen to classical music, composer Karl Fiorini tells Josianne Facchetti.

Composer Karl Fiorini is a firm believer that classical music is not for the elite but for everyone.

We have excellent musicians in Malta, but it is important that there is always a mix of musicians from abroad

As a corollary to this belief, he wishes to make classical music available to families who cannot afford to go to the theatre together, people who have never been to the Manoel Theatre in Valletta – one of the oldest baroque theatres in the world – and to people who are curious about classical music.

He explains that he comes from a working class family and going to the theatre always meant a lot to him even when he was young.

“The theatre is a place of entertainment and cultural education and should be for all to enjoy.”

“The thinking that goes behind the orchestration of classical music is subtle, rich and complex. It is different to other music; in fact, it really cannot be compared.”

Being a composer, he explains how he creates music:

“First I have an idea. I then go to my instrument, which is the piano, where I improvise on it. I write a rough sketch of the idea and start working the sequence – this is where the craftsmanship of harmony comes in.

He then creates a piano reduction of the composition. From the this he writes the orchestra score.

Unfortunately, no one accepts hand-written scores anymore so he has to transfer it onto his computer using a specific programme. It takes hours and is an exericise he finds very boring.

The orchestration of the second violin concerto, which will be performed in Thailand on May 18 and 19, was written in his local café and so have many other scores before that.

Indeed the cafés in Paris are a hub for local artists.

“It is where I meet and talk about musical harmony. I sometimes meet sculptors, activists, musicians and journalists. Sometimes there is a protest close by and sometimes discussions. I get inspired by people and everything that happens around me – what I see, read and hear. The mind works on three levels – subconscious, unconscious and conscious, so even dreams can be a revelation. I take nothing for granted,” says the composer.

Fiorini emphasises the importance of studying and then living abroad, outside our comfort zone, to develop and mature not only as a person but also careerwise.

“It is important not to be happy with what you achieve no matter how much you achieve. I believe that a certain amount of frustration is important. In fact, it is when you enter a comfort zone that you die as an artist.”

Through the Spring Festival, organised and directed byFiorini, the composer brings foreign musicians who play with local musicians.

“This does not mean that we have to have foreigners to listen to good music. We have excellent musicians in Malta, but it is important that there is always a mix of musicians.”

An Italian saxophonist from Paris, Antonino Mollica, will play with pianist Tricia Dawn Williams and saxophonist Joe Vella.

This year, unlike previous years, there will not be any of Fiorini’s compositions but there will be compositions by other Maltese composers namely Reuben Zahra, Albert Pace and Pawlu Grech.

The 6th International Spring Festival at the Manoel Theatre, Valletta, starts on Tuesday at 8 p.m. and ends on Saturday.

Tickets are free and need to be reserved from the ManoelTheatre’s booking office on 2124 6389 or bookings@teatrumanoel.com.mt.