The Malta Philharmonic Orchestra and the Malta Youth Orchestra are joining forces for their annual summer concert.
This year’s concert is taking place today, which marks the US Independence Day – a source of inspiration for the concert.
Under the direction of renowned British conductor Peter Stark, over 100 musicians from the two orchestras will be peforming popular works by US composers from the past century, many of them
staples of pop culture. Pop culture has provided a new – and important – niche for orchestras to fill: film and TV scores.
The concert opens with one of the most notable themes for a TV series – The Simpsons – and concludes with the epic opening theme used in the Star Wars series, composed by John Williams.
Williams’s theme for the first Harry Potter film will also be played, along with one of the most recognisable themes for a Western film: that of The Magnificent Seven.
Rounding off the concert are two works from the 1930s: George Gershwin’s Cuban Overture and Aaron Copland’s Billy the Kid Suite, which incorporates a number of traditional cowboy tunes.
The concert is being held today at St George’s Square, Valletta, at 9pm. Admission is free.