The Malta Council for Culture and the Arts presents the Southampton University Sinfonietta which will perform in Malta and Gozo between Thursday and Sunday.

The Southampton University Sinfonietta was formed in 1997 and is currently in its second year under the guidance of musical director Andrew Morley. The tour to Malta sees the completion of its tremendously successful 2005/06 season. The orchestra prides itself on performing a vast repertoire, ranging from Mozart, Mendelssohn and Rossini to Pärt, Prokofiev and Arnold.

Through the initiative of the Malta Council for Culture and the Arts, the orchestra will perform Sketch for Orchestra, by Maltese composer Albert Garzia, written especially for the Sinfonietta’s summer tour. The orchestra will be joined by the composer in Malta for the premiere of his latest challenging work.

The orchestra will be accompanied this summer by the wonderful young violinist Stephen Payne who will play one of Mendelssohn’s most popular works, his exhilarating Violin Concerto in E Minor. The Garzia and Mendelssohn contrast greatly with the melancholic and beautiful Adagio for Strings by Barber.

Bruch’s Symphony no. 1 is a hidden gem amongst the more commonly performed works of the composer. It features all the charmingly memorable melodies you come to expect of the creator of the famous Violin Concerto in G Minor and the resplendent pastoral orchestrations found in his Scottish Fantasy. It promises to conclude the performance with suitable aplomb.

The Sinfonietta will perform in Independence Square in Victoria on Thursday at 7.30pm at the Old Opera House Ruins, Valletta on Friday at 8pm and at Villa Bighi, Kalkara on Sunday at 8pm.

Tickets for the Malta concerts will be on sale from the MCCA Ticket Booth in Freedom Square Valletta from Monday to Friday from 8.30am to 12.30pm; on Friday from 5pm until the performance starts; on Sunday tickets will be available at the door at Villa Bighi from 5pm until the performance starts. Tickets will be on sale at Lm3.