The inquisitors knew what they were doing when they chose the valley of Girgenti for their summer residence. From the oppression of the Birgu palace to the delight and enchantment of a spot that even in the driest season remains lush and green. For many years this lovely little bijou of a palace was left vacant, simply there for artists and photographers to stumble upon and paint and shoot quite happily. Many years ago, when still in my early teens,
I used to regularly attend these Cultural Tours organised the Department of Education and Culture conducted by Professor Mario Buhagiar and the late Tancred Gouder. We had once visited The Inquisitor's Palace, considered even then to be in the back of beyond, and were kept waiting for 20 minutes till we figured out how to get into it as there were no signs of life and the whole place was bolted shut. Finally someone noticed a small gate in the field at the back and a notice saying, in best Owl-speak, RINK DI PEL END CUM DI WACCMANN which we did. The rest is another story.
The palazzino has come a long way since then and today is the Prime Minister's official country residence; a sort of Maltese Chequers.
The Prime Minister and Mrs Gonzi kindly hosted an orchestral concert in the grounds of Girgenti place last Tuesday; an amplified performance by the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra consisting of the type of music that we all know backwards and love to bits but always put off listening to as there always seems to be something else to do. Yes of course music buffs know the Peer Gynt and the Carmen Suites inside out.
Yes of course the Triumphal March from Aida and the 1812 Overture are staple fare as are the Von Suppe Light Cavalry Overture with its canters and gallops and Copland's evocative fanfare for the Common Man. Yet I defy anyone to say that they do not occasionally enjoy a concert like this.
I certainly do.
This music has universal appeal. This is why it has always been and always will be great. It is the kind of music recorded in album compilations under titles like ‘Music We Know and Love ‘or ‘Classics for Pleasure'. This is the type of music to make converts and after spying a few letters from people complaining that they did not manage to get seats for the Girgenti event I believe that there could easily be a repeat performance later on this summer; perhaps at Verdala Castle this time or, even better, in some village square.
The uses of village squares in Malta must be exploited further. Many of them are natural open air theatres, which, before I am pounced upon, is why I reiterate that we really do not need another one; even if it is designed by Renzo Piano. Weather is always a determining factor. While we sweltered through the entire Arts Festival in an unofficial wet t-shirt competition, the wind changed to a strong Majjistral (Upstairs Wind in Sliema slang) forcing NNG to postpone the Joseph Calleja concert scheduled for the 24th. The weather on Tuesday the 27th was just perfect.
By Tuesday the Force 7 Upstairs Wind had slowed down to a gentle breeze. I felt smart and comfortable in a light grey Indian suit and my close and relentless resemblance to an exploding pressure cooker in the preceding weeks while gasping in the Sirocco (Downstairs Wind in Sliema slang) was forgotten in the delicious freshness of the Girgenti air. What bliss!
The orchestra was in fine fettle but I must admit far too amplified. It was like listening to a live recording and not an actual performance. It was also too loud. Maybe it was because I was sitting in the second row however at times I really wished I could have got further away from those gymormous speakers that also picked up ‘other sounds' besides the actual music.
If we are going to make a habit of this, and I do hope that we do, it would be worth looking into the different types of amplification used in other famous open air venues like the Digital Theatre at Waldbuhne on the outskirts of Berlin where the Berlin Philharmonic hold concerts for 23000 people a go every year in June. If the summer festival transforms itself into something that reaches out to the people then performing Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite in Mellieha Square will need proper amplification.
Micheal Laus conducted the MPO with his usual suavity and deftness. My favourites of course were the two Hungarian dances by Johannes Brahms. I can never listen to them without being wafted back to Florian's on St Mark's Square eating a very expensive ice-cream very ,very slowly just to listen to the band play Brahms no 5.......again and again. Rossini‘s Gazza Ladra or Thieving Magpie overture was suitably effervescent however the amplification distorted the nuances.
The Tchaikovsky 1812 was tremendous especially as it was boosted by the participation of the AFM Band. Tchaikovsky recreated in tonal pictures the Napoleonic invasion of Russia in 1812 incorporating Russian religious hymns and the Marseillaise; a great piece that incorporates cannon shots too which I just about heard as the music was so loud. We could however hear volleys of fireworks in the distance which dare I say added atmosphere.
Whatever and however, the overall effect was stunning; a splendid conclusion to a very enjoyable evening of music of the sort that can be appreciated by all and which should be repeated more often in the summer months in both Malta and Gozo for the greater delectation of the people.