April, 2008

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24
Apr 08

Malta National Folk Festival


Organised by the Malta Council for Culture and the Arts, the National Folk Singing Festival takes place every May in the natural setting of the Argotti Botanical Gardens in Floriana, Valletta.

A mixture of Maltese and Mediterranean folk music performances are staged by local and international artists, while craftsmen display their skills at exhibitions held alongside the main event. Visitors also have the opportunity to taste traditional food and drink.

Argotti Botanical Gardens are situated just 15 minutes walk from Maison La Vallette.

18 – 20 May 2008 (annual)
Where:Argotti Botanical Gardens
Opening Hours:7pm

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24
Apr 08

Antonio Sciortino Sculptors in Valencia


Heritage Malta is putting up an exhibition consisting of 11 works in bronze and marble by the Maltese sculptor Antonio Sciortino in Valencia, Spain. The exhibition is the first one-man exhibition of Sciortino’s works overseas.

Some of Sciortino’s most noteworthy works from the national collection at the National Museum of Fine Arts are being exhibited. These include Rythmi Vitae, Surprise and Nina de Vetlina among others, and are being accompanied by a fibre-glass replica of Sciortino’s original Les Gavroches. The exhibition is co-curated by Heritage Malta’s Senior Curator for Arts and Palaces Mr Sandro Debono, Mr Dennis Vella as curator of modern and contemporary art within the Arts and Palaces Department and an authority on Antonio Sciortino, and Don Vicente Alcaraz from the Ajuntamient de Valencia.

The exhibition will be held at the Casa Museo Benlliure; a historic house built at the turn of the century and former property of the Benlliure family of artists including Jose Benlliure, a painter and former Director of the Spanish Academy in Rome and Mariano, Spain’s most important modern 19th and 20th century sculptor. The exhibition will run until May and is being held by the Ayuntamiento de Valencia, the local government of the City of Valencia, and Malta’s national agency for cultural heritage, Heritage Malta. The event will also be under the distinguished patronage of the UNESCO Valencia committee. Its director, Don Vicente Burgos has been instrumental in making this historic event happen which was also possible thanks to a collaboration agreement signed way back in 2006 between Heritage Malta and Fundacion Jaume II el Just of which Dr Burgos was then the director. This collaboration has also led to a further prestigious exhibition, this time featuring prehistoric Malta, which Heritage Malta will be putting up in Alicante later on this year at the express invitation of the MARQ museum, the winner of the 2004 European Museum of the Year Award.

Amigos de Malta

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19
Apr 08

MTV hits Malta this summer



ISLE OF MTV 2008
Festivals , Concerts, Clubs and Scene – 25/06/2008 to 26/06/2008
Coming soon…. MTV hits the island of Malta and everyone is invited.

A massive international line up of top artists and local talents will grace centre stage at the isle of MTV 2008. After the great success story of 2007, with over 40,0000 people attending the largest concert ever to be held in Malta, MTV in collaboration with the Malta Tourism Authority and G7 will be holding yet another Free Festival.

Dr Francis Zammit Dimech, Minister for Tourism and Culture, said: “We are delighted to renew our partnership with MTV. Our lifestyle, climate and natural beauty provide a perfect venue for MTV. This is a unique opportunity to tell young people that Malta truly is a happening island.”

Last summer Akon, Maroon 5 and Enrique Iglesias topped the line-up for the spectacular open-air concert held in the picturesque backdrop of Il-Fosos Square in Floriana, in front of 50,000 people.

For this year’s event in June the Malta Tourism Authority is planning a three-day music festival leading up to the Isle of MTV concert. “The fusion of Malta and MTV produced an incredible feeling for the thousands who attended last year. We want to share this magic with more visitors. Our invitation goes out to all music and party lovers: come join us in Malta in June when MTV comes to town,” said Dr Zammit Dimech.

The highlight of the tour has traditionally been an open-air main event. Last year it was staged just outside the Valletta city gate. Previous performers at the Isle of MTV main event include Snoop Dogg, The Chemical Brothers, Shaggy, Garbage, The Black Eyed Peas, Jazzy Jeff, Gorillaz and Morcheeba.

Check out the link below for a chance to win an exclusive VIP trip to the Isle of MTV Malta Special 2008.
http://comps.mtv.tv/comps/isleofmtv/
http://www.visitmalta.com/event-details?l=1&e=3513

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13
Apr 08

Latin Jazz in Valletta


On Wednesday 16 April at 8pm, Teatru Manoel in collaboration with the German Embassy in Malta proudly presents a Latin Jazz concert entitled Vida Pura.

This ensemble, which has toured in Columbia, China and Germany, brings together the world renowned musicians Sebastian Schunke – piano (Berlin); Olvido – vocals (Cuba Berlin); Lukmil Perez – drums (Cuba Paris); Felepe Cabrera – bass (Cuba Paris); El Indio – trumpet (Cuba Berlin). These Grammy award winning artistes fuse the intense energy of their home cultures to create music which merges the boundaries of classical music and Latin rhythms.

This evening promises to entice the audience with music that is structured but spontaneous, familiar yet exotic in a Latin Jazz environment.

“The jazz element seems to shimmer between the main stream and avant guard, immeasurably enhanced by rhythmic excitement introduced through Schunk’s masterly use of extravagant time signatures…” (quepasa-magazine). These musicians career have been welcomed by the intriguing comments of critics and audiences alike.

For more information kindly contact Teatru Manoel’s Booking Office on 2124-6389 or bookings@teatrumanoel.com.mt. Online bookings are available on www.teatrumanoel.com.mt

The Malta Independent
More info Sebastian Schunke

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13
Apr 08

Metropolitan opera star for Malta concert


The celebrated American mezzo-soprano Kate Aldrich, who has taken the world of opera by storm with her stunning performances at the Metropolitan Opera House and other prestigious venues, will be the guest artiste in a concert organised by the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra at the Manoel Theatre on April 22.

The repertoire will include well known arias from Carmen, La Favorita, Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Damnation de Faust, La Clemenza di Tito, Werther and La Cenerentola.

The relatively young mezzo soprano created a sensation when she appeared as Amneris in Franco Zeffirelli’s production of Verdi’s Aida on the commemoration of the centennial of the composer’s death in 2001 in Busseto, Italy. This production was seen on RAI television and later released on DVD. Her other DVD releases include a concert with Roberto Alagna & Friends, Massenet’s Werther and Don Quichotte, Strauss’s Salome and Benvenuto Cellini by Berlioz.

Ms Aldrich made her Metropolitan Opera debut as Maddalena in Rigoletto. She has also appeared as Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia in Dusseldorf, and Meg Page in Falstaff. She arrives in Malta after singing the role of Elizabeth in Donizetti’s Maria Stuarda in San Diego, California and Lucrezia Borgia, at the Teatro Regio, Turin, Italy.

• The concert, which starts at 8 p.m. and will be conducted by Michael Laus. Tickets may be obtained by phone on 2124 6389 or by e-mail: bookings@teatrumanoel.com.mt.

Times of Malta

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11
Apr 08

Maltese Flea Markets




For a relaxing day, enjoy a visit to Birgu which is just a short distance from Valletta. The old city is situated just across the Grand Harbour. The best views of the city is from the Upper Barrakka where you can admire the massive Fort St Angelo which today houses the headquarters of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta – the Order of the Knights of St. John. It was from here that the great Master Caravaggio escaped to Naples after his short-lived adventure in Malta.

If you time your visit on Sunday morning you may try your luck at the antiques flea market. Here you will find all sorts of war time memorabilia, old coins, stamps, books and much more. The market starts as early as 7.00am and finishes at noon. Should you plan your visit during the week, the best day is a tuesday for the weekly flea market where you will find anything from fruit and vegetables, herbs and spices, clothes and other interesting bric-a-brac! And you can also haggle for the price….

Birgu is 15 minutes by bus from Valletta. You can also cross over on one of the small Maltese harbour gondolas from the Valletta waterfront just 5 minutes away.

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8
Apr 08

Valletta and the European Film Festival


Audiences are in for a treat at this year’s European Film Festival.

Film has long been the medium of the people – a form of entertainment that breaks the barriers of class, social status, gender, race or religion to bridge society’s gaps and bring us closer together. And it’s for that very reason that the local EU Representation Office has decided to continue its annual European Film Festival for the 10th year running, launching on April 12. The festival is working in conjunction with the St James Cavalier as the centre was appointed as the national coordinating body for the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue.

“This year the whole of the EU is celebrating intercultural dialogue and we thought that we would use our flagship cultural activity, this film festival, to hone in on those ideologies and celebrate them through film,” explained Joanna Drake, the office’s head of representation.

“There are no ticket prices for the viewings but we do encourage people to book and ask them to give a donation of €3 at the door. This year funds raised will be going to The Daniel Delicata Memorial Association whose mission is the purchase, donation and/or implementation of items and services of entertainment, activity and comfort of sick children.”

• The festival runs between Saturday and May 8 – all films in Malta will be shown at St James Cavalier, Valletta and shows start at 8.30 p.m. Films in Gozo will be shown at Citadel Theatre, Victoria, with shows starting at 7 p.m.

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8
Apr 08

Calleja to pay tribute to Pavarotti

Photo: Nichole Bachmann

Malta’s favourite opera star, Joseph Calleja, will return to a local stage at an as yet unestablished venue on July 12 paying tribute to his late hero, Luciano Pavarotti.

Accompanied by his soprano wife Tatiana Lisnic, baritone George Petean, conductor Brian Schembri and a philharmonic orchestra from Sofia, Calleja will lay special emphasis on Puccini since 2008 is the 150th anniversary of his birth.

“Joseph Calleja is one of the biggest stars in the world of classical music and this concert is bound to be one of this year’s cultural highlights. Organising a concert of this magnitude requires a great deal of planning, organisation and resources.
Tickets are available online from through www.nngpromotions.com, through Vodafone and Exotique outlets and from Agenda bookshops.

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8
Apr 08

Valletta Barrakka Gardens




Upper and Lower Barrakka Gardens offer panoramic views of the Grand Harbour in Valletta.
The Upper Barrakka is however more centered and at a much higher level giving the best viewing point of Fort St Angelo just across, which is the present seat of the Knights of St John. This upper garden was in fact the gift of an eighteenth-century knight. The Anglican Garrison Church partly intrudes upon its view.The garden is built on top of a demi-bastion.
The Lower Barrakka Gardens are part of St Christopher’s Bastion and also command a view of the Grand Harbour. At the centre of this garden is a small Greek-style folly built in memory of Governor Sir Alexander Ball, who led the siege against the French in 1800 and subsequently became Britain’s first civil commissioner of Malta. The French during the 1798-1800 siege cultivated these gardens.

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2
Apr 08

George Cross Medal re-enactment in Valletta


On the 15th April, at 18.00hrs, St George’s Square, or as it is more popularly known, Palace Square in Valletta, will be transported back in time by 66 years through a faithful re-enactment of the awarding of the George Cross Medal to the people of Malta.

“To honour the brave people I award the George Cross to the Island Fortress of Malta to bear witness to a heroism and devotion that will long be famous in history”

This citation, originally issued by King George VI on the 15th April 1942, will ring across the square once again and is sure to send a tingle down the spines of those present, making us stand justifiably proud as a Nation.

The George Cross is the highest British medal, which can be awarded to civilians for acts of bravery. Malta is the only country to ever receive this award as a Nation, in recognition of the stoicism, true grit and will of the people, which was instrumental in helping our country pull through a horrific, incessant blitz during WWII.

A delegation from the Royal Society of St George hailing from the UK will be attending the re-enactment, which will involve both the Armed Forces of Malta and the Maltese Police Force, amongst others.

The Maltese public is invited to join in this re-enactment celebrating those who lived through terrible times and came through it with honour, pride and head held high.
http://www.maltaculture.com