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Vivica Genaux enjoys huge success in a Melbourne concert of Baroque delights, the first venture of Sydney's Pinchgut Opera Company outside its home turf.

Picture a warm May evening, walking the narrow, silent, cool streets of the ancient capital of Malta, then sitting amongst a magnificent collection of 17th- and 18th-century art with a promise of secrets!This was the setting for a concert – no, in fact, a spectacular – held on Friday 10 May at the Cathedral Museum, Mdina.

For the late night prom on Monday, the French early music group Ensemble Matheus led by the flamboyant violinist/director Jean-Christophe Spinosi brought an entertaining and well-juxtaposed programme of baroque arias and concertos starring French countertenor Philippe Jaroussky and Canadian contralto Marie-Nicole Lemieux.

Accompagné du Gabetta Consort, le contre-ténor déploie une santé vocale de feu dans un récital consacré principalement à des airs de Vinci et Haendel.