On Tuesday 15th January 2013 the Valletta Baroque Festival will present a fabulous orchestral concert by the youth orchestra Jeune Orchestre Atlantique. This international orchestra of young professional musicians will present a unique programme of music by Maltese composers, as well as works from the Bach legacy. A wonderful opportunity to experience Baroque music in Malta’s unique Baroque Theatre – Teatru Manoel.

The programme will include the overture and duet ‘Padre, addio’ from the opera ‘Pelopide’ (1747) by Girolamo Abos. Frederick Aquilina took on the task to edit the music so that both orchestra and singers can perform this work. The other revival works on the programme are the two arias from the ‘Dixit Dominus’ of 1756 by Benigno Zerafa. These arias have been edited by M.Mus.student Christine Gauci under the supervision of Frederick Aquilina (University of Malta).  The orchestra will also perform the Sinfonia in D by Francesco Azopardi thanks to the contribution of editor Bertil van Boer, Aurora Press 2011.

JOA gathers young professional musicians at the Abbaye aux Dames de Saintes (France) to follow a comprehensive training programme on period instruments. The teachers come from the Orchestre des Champs-Elysées and other professional orchestras specialising in the performance of period instruments. Thanks to JOA, the musicians have the possibility to play under the direction of famous conductors such as Philippe Herreweghe, Jos van Immerseel, Christopher Hogwood, François-Xavier Roth, Marc Minkowski and Louis Langrée. This international orchestra assembles young musicians from all over the world representing about 20 different nationalities each year.

The concert is also part of an EU Culture Programme entitled EUR TEXT. Maltese cultural organisations, ‘Soundscapes’ and the ‘Malta Association for Contemporary Music’ are co-organisers in EUR TEXT, together with the Jeune Orchestre Atlantique in France and other prestigious organisations in Poland and the Czech Republic. Composer Ruben Zahra and director of the ‘Soundscapes’ enterprise invited the Valletta Baroque Festival to join as associate partner in the EU project and include JOA in the programme. The artistic direction of the Valletta Baroque Festival fully supports the music by Maltese composers that contributes to our Baroque and Classical music heritage.

Other highlights on the programme include the fabulous concerto for flute, strings and continuo in D minor by C.P.E. Bach and the concerto for violin in G minor by J.S. Bach. Zerafa and Azopardi belong to later periods, yet this concert is a wonderful opportunity to present an itinerary of Maltese classical music by a foreign international orchestra. 

JOA works with some of the best international conductors and soloists. The conductor for the concert in Malta is Stéphanie-Marie Degand who will also lead the orchestra as first violinist and thus conduct from her stand. Degand has a brilliant career as a soloist. She has a compelling discography and is often invited to perform internationally with renowned orchestras such as The King’s Consort, Chambre Philharmonique, Les Sèicles and Le Parlement de Musiques. She will also perform as a soloist in the concerto for violin in G minor by J.S. Bach. The programme will also feature Florian Cousin, flutist of the prestigious orchestra Les Musiciens du Louvre Grenoble, as soloist for the concerto for flute, strings and continuo in D minor by C.P.E. Bach. This concert is also an opportunity to present two of our local talent: soprano Claudia Tabone and alto Clare Ghigo who will be performing the music of Abos and Zerafa.

JOA are coming to Malta with a programme of music by Maltese composers as well as music by Bach. The organisers have been working on this project for over a year to present a unique programme which celebrates Maltese music within an international context.

This concert is organised with the support of the Culture Programme EUR TEXT of the European Union. The concert is also supported by the Ministry for Justice, Dialogue and the Family, the Malta Arts Fund, Cultural Contact Point Malta and Teatru Manoel. The concert will be held on Tuesday 15th of January 2013 at 7.30pm at Teatru Manoel in Valletta. Tickets at €10 available from the booking office (+356)21246389 or directly from the website: www.vallettabaroquefestival.com.mt. For more information visit: www.eurtext.eu.