Teatru Manoel has combined the festive season, one of the most beautiful baroque churches in Malta and one of Europe's leading ensembles to present a Baroque Christmas Concert on Saturday 20 December in the Our Lady of Graces Sanctuary (Żabbar Parish Church). Added to this is a unique programme of French sacred music of the 17th century which focusses on music by Charpentier written for Christmas. This will be performed by Ensemble Correspondances, conducted by the renowned French conductor and musicologist Sébastien Daucé.
Ensemble Correspondances's latest album "Meslanges pour la Chapelle d'un Prince" has recently won the Grand Prix 2014 de la musique classique which is one of the most prestigious awards in the music industry.
The Parish Church of Żabbar is dedicated to Our Lady of Divine Grace and dates back many centuries. Żabbar became a parish in 1615 and the present church was designed by Tommaso Dingli and finished in 1696. In 1738 Giovanni Bonavia designed a new façade for the church and paintings by the Maltese artist Alessio Erardi were added in 1715. It is one of the most magnificent examples of baroque ecclesiastical architecture on the Island.
The full programme includes traditional Christmas songs of the era as well as pieces by Bouzignac, Boesset, Charpentier and Moulinié. Ensemble Correspondances is formed from alumni of the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Lyon, one of the leading music academies in the World, and Malta is one of their stops on a tour which includes some of the major concert venues in Europe.
Teatru Manoel CEO, Ray Attard stated, "This event is part of Teatru Manoel's plan to reach out by presenting music in notable settings in different localities all over the Island. The intention is to offer the opportunity to everyone who loves music to experience it in our architecturally and artistically rich venues."
The concert on Saturday 20 December starts at 8pm. Tickets are €20 with discounts offered for students and kartanzjan holders and can be purchased online: www.teatrumanoel.com.mt, [email protected] or 2124 6389.