ART
A Collection of Art
Until 19 May at Lily Agius Gallery, Sliema, a collection of art by both local and international artists is being exhibited until Saturday 19 May at Lily Agius Gallery, 54 Cathedral Street, Sliema. Within the collection are ideal wedding gift ideas and hand-made jewellery made using precious stones, pearls and flowers. Open 11am-1pm and 4pm-7pm Tuesday – Saturday or by appointment. (Closed 1 May).
Thresholds
Until 20 May at St James Cavalier Centre for Creativity, Valletta.
An Exhibition to mark the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the British Council in Malta. Artist Paula Rego selects art works from the British Council Collection for this Whitechapel Gallery exhibition. The artist has delved deep into the Collection to curate an exhibition of over 50 works dating from the start of the 20th Century, most of them works on paper - prints, drawings and photographs. Beginning with the work of Sickert and his unvarnished depictions of bedroom encounters in north London, the exhibition includes nudes by Gwen John and Wyndham Lewis, rarely seen early photographs by Cecil Beaton, scurrilous watercolours by Edward Burra, Graham Sutherland’s wartime gouaches of tin mining in Cornwall and Lucian Freud’s etchings of young girls.
Admission to the exhibition is free of charge.
Free guided tours will be provided to the general public.
The exhibition is open from Monday to Tuesday from 9am to 5pm and from Wednesday to Sunday 9am to 9pm. Please contact St. James Cavalier (Tel. 2122-3200) for more info about free guided tours.
Steve McCurry Photographic Exhibition
25 May - 24 June at St James Cavalier, Valletta.
Steve McCurry, recognised universally as one of today’s finest image-makers, has won many of photography’s top awards. Best known for his evocative colour photography, McCurry, in the finest documentary tradition, captures the essence of human struggle and joy. Member of Magnum Photos since 1986, McCurry has searched and found the unforgettable - many of his images have become modern icons. Born in Philadelphia, McCurry graduated cum laude from the College of Arts and Architecture at the Pennsylvania State University. After working at a newspaper for two years, he left for India to freelance. It was in India that McCurry learned to watch and wait on life. “If you wait,” he realised, “people will forget your camera and the soul will drift up into view.”
MUSIC
Light, Hope and Music
Sunday 6 May at the Manoel Theatre - Valletta
Teatru Manoel will be hosting the Al Nour Wal Amal orchestra from Egypt. This Orchestra is unique in the world as it is the only Orchestra entirely composed of blind persons who play western classical music as well as oriental music. It has performed for a variety of audiences: in schools, universities, embassies, theaters, concert halls, at conferences at the Cairo Opera House and for important guests to Egypt, including Queens, wives of Presidents and Heads of State. This is an event in aid of the Malta Society of the Blind.
Booking: Manoel Theatre Booking Office, Old Theatre Street,Valletta
Telephone: 2124-6389,
website: www.teatrumanoel.com.mt
Email: [email protected]
Leading Italian Opera Singers in Concert
Saturday 12 May at the Manoel Theatre, Valletta at 7.30pm World famous soprano Roberta Canzian and Baritone Mario Cassi, supported by pianist Ulla Casalini will perform mini opera selections in the operatic concert ‘I Grandi Operisti Italiani’. This tribute to Italian “bel canto” includes selections from “Il Barbiere di Siviglia” by Gioacchino Rossini, “Don Pasquale” by Gaetano Donizetti, “La Traviata” by Giuseppe Verdi, “La Boheme” by Giacomo Puccini and others.
Roberta Canzian and Mario Cassi have performed in the world’s most prestigious opera houses including La Fenice of Venice, La Scala in Milan, Teatro Massimo of Palermo, Teatro Dell'Opera of Rome, and Teatro Real de Madrid in Spain, Vienna, Tokyo, Korea, Salzburg and St Petersburg.
Roberta Canzian performs under world famous conductors that include Riccardo Muti. She has recorded CDs for Tactus, Kicco Music, Phoenix, Bongiovanni, and DVDs in her performances in Elisir d'Amore from the Macerata Opera Festival for the RAI International Editions. She is also a frequent guest on the Italian radio and television national channels in their direct transmissions from Italian theatres, in the radio programmes La Barcaccia by M. Suozzo and E. Stinchelli; she also participated several times in the television programmes Prima della Prima on RAI 2 and Loggione conducted by Vittorio Testa for Canale 5.
Mario Cassi has won the Concorso Toti Dal Monte in 2002 and in 2003 the prize ‘Zarzuela’ in the competition Placido Domingo-Operalia. His conductors include Riccardo Muti, Zubin Mehta, Patrick Fournillier, Andriis Nelsons, Christophe Rousset. who directed him in 2005 as Valentin in Faust at the famous Ravenna Festival. They will be accompanied by expert pianist Mro Ulla Casalini. Leading music critic Albert G Storace will make introductory comments to the various arias and duettos.
The operatic concert I Grandi Operisti Italiani is organised by Fiesole Artistic Productions in collaboration with the Italian Cultural Institute.
Booking: Manoel Theatre Booking Office, Old Theatre Street,Valletta
Telephone: 2124-6389,
website: www.teatrumanoel.com.mt
Email: [email protected]
Movie Spectacular
Saturday 19 May at the Mediterranean Conference Centre, Valletta at 7.30pm
The ever popular Movie Spectacular is back for the 5th edition presenting the ‘Movie Classics’. Music from blockbuster movies will be performed live under the direction of Kevin Abela.
For bookings visit www.mcc.com.mt
MPO Concert Series at Teatru Manoel
Friday 25 May at the Manoel Theatre, Valletta at 7.30pm.
The Malta Philharmonic Orchestra concludes its four-concert series in style with an all-British programme featuring soprano Gillian Zammit singing Britten’s Les Illuminations under the direction of Michael Laus. Leader Marcelline Agius will perform the solo in Vaughan Williams’ The Lark Ascending and the evening concludes with Elgar’s magnificent Enigma Variations.
Booking: Manoel Theatre Booking Office, Old Theatre Street,Valletta
Telephone: 2124-6389,
Website: www.teatrumanoel.com.mt
Email: [email protected]
THEATRE
Ghostwriter-The True Story
11, 12, 13, 18, 19, 20, 25, 27 May
1, 2, 3 June at St James Cavalier, Valletta at 8pm
FM Theatre presents this play by David Tristram. A London theatre company decides to stage a new production of Shakespeare’s Hamlet - fronted by TV Soap star Julian Dando and backed by a cast of second-rate hams. At the last-night party, Edward Pinfold, a promising young playwright, and husband of the talented but tempestuous actress, Ruby, faces the shock of his wife’s death. One year later, Edward remains deeply affected. Unable to face the emotional torment of living in his own home, he moves into the attic room of one of his oldest actor friends, Alex. What happens next, as Alex once famously said, could be a bit hard to swallow. We join the story on the first anniversary of the death of Ruby Pinfold .
DANCE
Mamma Mia Dance Show
Saturday 5 May at the Aurora Opera Theatre in Victoria, Gozo at 8pm
Theatre doors open at 7.15pm.
Mamma Mia Dance Show – a dance interpretation of the world-renowned musical Mamma Mia which is based on the songs of ABBA shall be presented by Gozo’s Aurora Theatre. Mamma Mia will bring on stage a mixed cast from the Aurora Theatre and Pieds Dansants, the collaborating production houses, and the Gozo School of Drama.
The dance show will present a true-to-the-story musical narrative of a girl’s quest to find her father prior to her wedding day which in the end she relinquishes, only to be taken by her own mother and newly-found father. Efforts are set to take the audience on a journey to the idyllic Greek island Kalokairi, where everyone can have a blast with Sophie, Donna and the former (yet still-going-strong) Dynamos Tanya and Rosie, and all their friends. Mamma Mia Dance Show shall be jointly produced by Pieds Dansants and the Leone Philharmonic Society. Tickets are on sale at €10 (adults) and €6 (children under 10 years) from ticket hotline 9944-7625 or from Bargate Bookshop, Victoria. Further information can be obtained from www.teatruaurora.com.
This information is correct at the time of printing.
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