Unity in diversity in Malta

By Anthony Hart, 28 January 2016

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Reviewed at St Paul's Anglican Cathedral, Valletta on 26 January 2016

Corelli, Concerto Grosso in D major, Op.6 no.7

Bach, Concerto for oboe d'amore

Vivaldi, Concerto for strings in E minor, RV 134

Telemann, Concerto for four violins

Boyce, Symphony no. 2 in A major

Wassenaer, Concerto Armonico no.1 in G major

Vivaldi, L'estro armonico: Concerto for 4 violins, cello and strings in B minor, Op.3 no.10, RV 580

Arne, Overture

Valletta Baroque Festival Ensemble

Catherine Martin, Director

Katharina Spreckelsen, Oboe

Girolamo Abos' Stabat Mater in Valletta

Anthony Hart, 16th January

Abos' Stabat Mater is given an enthusiastic response at the Valletta International Baroque Festival.

****1

Valletta International Baroque Festival: Monteverdi's Vespers

Anthony Hart, 18th January

The Valletta International Baroque Festival concert on 18 January was a performance of Monteverdi’s Vespers given by the Valletta International Baroque Ensemble.

****1

Sir David McVicar’s psychologically driven Salome arrives in Chicago

Graham Meyer, 25th January

Revived at Lyric Opera of Chicago, the notorious opera director’s take stirs sympathy for Salome, but leans on some of his theatrical hobby-horses

****1

A fervently theatrical Götterdämmerung at Tanglewood

Cameron Kelsall, 20th July

A star-is-born performance from the young American bass David Leigh anchors a thrilling performance of the Ring cycle's dramatic conclusion.

****1

A musically sumptuous, dramatically staid Die Walküre in Atlanta

Cameron Kelsall, 30th April

The second installment in The Atlanta Opera's first-ever Ring Cycle benefits from the committed performances of veteran Wagnerians like Christine Goerke and Greer Grimsley.

***11

Arrestingly effective: Dead Man Walking at Minnesota Opera

Katherine Syer, 27th January

Dead Man Walking is currently the most frequently performed contemporary American opera. Joel Ivany's staging, first mounted in Vancouver, opened recently at Minnesota Opera just days after the opera's Spanish première in Madrid.

****1

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Anthony Hart

Anthony Hart, born in the UK, now lives in Malta. He was presented papers for Società Italiana di Musicologia and the International Musicological Society. He a Licentiate of the London College of Music. He has had papers published in Early Music, Studi Musicali and Fonti Musicali Italiane.

Unity in diversity: The Valletta International Baroque Ensemble Malta