The end of October and the beginning of November have always been considered a darker time than most: Catholicism marks All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day; while the social calendar gets ready to feast for Halloween – traditionally believed to be the night when the veil between the living and dead is at its thinnest.
Now, the supernatural may not play a part in the Regional Concert Series’ upcoming recital, String Quartets, but many of the elements that characterise this time will be brought together in this one-off recital taking place within the largest crypt in Malta’s diocese, that of the Żejtun’s parish church.
“Having an atmospheric venue always adds to the effect of the performance; it actually makes it easier to perform,” says Akos, who is a cellist with Zene Quartet, a collective of musicians from the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra, which also include Klara Nazaj and Agnieszka Kuzma on the violin (alternating as first and second violins), and Ayako Omoto on the viola.
The ambitious programme for the evening features four string quartets that will help to crystalise the mood of the venue. These are: String Quartet Num 3 ‘Mishima’ by Philip Glass; John’s Book of Alleged Dances by John Adams; String Quartet Num 3 by Alfred Schnittke; and Amplified String Quartet with Tape by Norma Beecroft.
“To play them all would be too long for a concert so we are only playing a selection of the works with the exception of the Beecroft, which is a one-movement piece,” Akos says. “This allows us to show a greater variety of late-20th-century music.”
Akos goes on to explain how, in the post-World War II era, the universal rules that determined compositions were forfeited, and how the four pieces on the programme portray four different music aesthetics where each composer is crafting their own language.
“This results in a versatile, colourful and contrasting music journey,” Akos says when asked about his views on the works selected for the programme by the artistic director of the Regional Concert Series, composer Ruben Zahra. “The selected works complement the unique setting of the venue, decked out in black damask, a coffin and dozens of candles, as per the Żejtun parish church’s tradition. All in all, in this setting, people will probably be more receptive to the transcendental aspect of music.”
The concert takes place today and is the fifth of six concerts planned by Modern Music Days as part of their Regional Concert Series. Modern Music Days is organised by Teatru Manoel, the Malta Association for Contemporary Music, and the Valletta 2018 Foundation. The concert is being organised in collaboration with Żejtun parish church.
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