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Three Operas, Operatic Concert at the 7th Edition of the BOV Opera Festival
by di-ve.com
Wednesday, 08 March, 2006
The seventh edition of the BOV Opera Festival will feature Verdi's Rigoletto, Rossini's Il Barbiere di Siviglia, a concert version of Henry Purcell's opera Dido and Aeneas and a Concert of Arias from Maltese Operas. It will be held between the 15th and the 22nd of March.
The Festival will kick off with the popular Rigoletto by Giuseppe Verdi at the Manoel Theatre on the 15th March with a second performance being staged on the 17th of March.
A concert of Arias from Maltese Operas will follow on the 18th March whilst a concert version of Henry Purcell's opera Dido and Aeneas will be staged on the 19th March. Both these productions will be hosted at the state-of-the-art auditorium of the Sacred Heart Convent in St Julian's.
Gioacchino Rossini's Il Barbiere di Siviglia will close off the BOV Opera Festival 2006 with two performances that will take place on the 21st and 22nd of March at the Manoel Theatre in Valletta.
The annual appointment with Malta's premier classical music festival was launched during a media conference held at the Manoel Theatre.
"This will be a special edition of the BOV Opera Festival in a number of ways," said Wilfred Kenely, Chairman of the Manoel Theatre Management Committee. "Besides the fact that we will once again this year be presenting the public with a number of high quality performances featuring popular operas and a very interesting line-up of performers, this year's festival will mark an important new development. I am pleased to announce that, for the first time, one of the operas will be directed by Miriam Gauci. We are glad that Miriam accepted the invitation of the Manoel Theatre Management Committee to be the producer and artistic director of the opera Rigoletto. Besides directing the opera, Miriam Gauci will also be responsible for the costumes, the staging, the scenarios and the choreography." Mr Kenely also remarked that this production will bring together an ensemble which is predominantly Maltese, which in his words ?Goes to show the richness of our local talent, notwithstanding our limitations.'
Mr Kenely added "The BOV Opera Festival has been a successful joint venture and this year will mark the beginning of a second 5-year agreement between the two entities. Here is yet another example of the involvement of the private sector in cultural happenings, something which should be acknowledged and emulated ," said Mr. Kenely.
Soprano Miriam Gauci thanked the Manoel Theatre management Committee for expressing their faith in her artistic competencies and said "I am looking at this new experience with enthusiasm and although this will be my first experience as Artistic Director, I am sure that the vast experience I gained throughout my international career, coupled with the expertise of my team will ensure another successful performance. For me, this will also be an emotional experience since Rigoletto was the first opera I performed in Malta twenty five years ago."
Addressing the media, Bank of Valletta's Chief Executive Officer Tonio Depasquale said, "We are delighted to launch the seventh edition of the BOV Opera Festival, the first following the conclusion of the new five year sponsorship agreement which BOV and the Manoel Theatre have signed this year. The excellent programme that has been put together by the Theatre's Management Committee shows that we are managing to consolidate the BOV Opera Festival as one of the main events within the annual cultural calendar. We are also delighted that for the first time, the BOV Opera Festival has the support of two new companies, Valletta Fund Management and Middlesea Valletta Life Assurance Company Ltd", said Mr. Depasquale.
Mr Depasquale added "Our support of the BOV Opera Festival forms part of the Arts and Culture Pillar of our Community Programme. As a leading player in the Maltese economy, we are well aware that an organization of our size, playing such a key role within the communities in which it operates, has an obligation to wider society that extends beyond providing quality financial services to customers. At Bank of Valletta, we are committed to contribute to the prosperity of the communities in which we operate and acknowledge the responsibilities to invest in these to keep them vigorous and prosperous. The BOV Opera Festival is one such initiative that we look forward to support year in year out".
Mr. Depasquale said that the Bank was pleased to note that the BOV Opera Festival is also providing excellent opportunities for Maltese talented artists to perform alongside other established foreign artists at such a prestigious venue as is the Manoel Theatre. "The excellent reviews being obtained by the Festival both in the local media as well as in prestigious international opera publications confirm that the bank's decision to invest in this event is reaping the desired dividends, promoting Malta's cultural richness even on the international cultural scene," concluded Mr Depasquale.
7th BOV Opera Festival 2006 -- Full Programme
15, 17 March -- Rigoletto -- Opera by Giuseppe Verdi
Featuring the Orkestra Nazzjonali. Soprano Gillian Zammit, mezzo soprano Claire Massa, tenor Juan Gambina and bass Noel Galea amongst others.
Chorus Mistress: Simone Attard,
Music Director: Michael Laus
Artistic Director: Miriam Gauci
18 March -- Concert of Arias from Maltese Operas namely:-
Cendrillon by Nicolo`Isouard
I Cavalieri di Malta by Antonio Nani
Amore Fatale by Paolino Vassallo
Caterina Desguanez & I Martiri by Carmelo Pace
The Maltese Cross by Charles Camilleri
Rosabelle Bianchi -- Soprano / Charles Vincenti -- Tenor / Albert Buttigieg -- Bass
Caroline Calleja - Piano
Music Director: Chris Muscat
19 March -- Henry Purcell's Opera "Dido and Aeneas"
Rosabelle Bianchi -- Soprano
Charles Vincenti -- Tenor
Marouska Attard -- Soprano
Claudia Tabone -- Soprano
Corazon Mizzi -- Soprano
Charlene Aquilina -- Soprano
Fabian Galea - Tenor
Music Director: Chris Muscat
Performed in concert version by the Vocalise Chamber Ensemble and the Schola Cantorum Jubilate Choir.
21, 22 March -- Il Barbiere di Siviglia Opera by Gioacchino Rossini
Performed by singers from Operalaboratorio of the Teatro Massimo namely:
Vincenzo Bonomo - Il Conte d'Almaviva
Marco Filippo Romano - Bartolo
Lorena Scarlata - Rosina
Giovanni Bellavia - Figaro
Luca Tittoto - Basilio
Salvatore Grigoli - Fiorello
Giuseppe Pellingra - Ambrogio
Valentina Vitti - Berta
Orchestra: Orkestra Nazzjonali
Music Director: Michael Laus
Artistic Director: Elizabeth Smith
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