After a two-year absence, Notte Bianca will return tomorrow, Saturday 1 October, from 7 p.m. onwards with a programme that contains various art forms and performances of the highest calibre by local and international artists.

Notte Bianca is a continuous, direct investment in the cultural sector.  It grows year in year out and has turned itself into a platform which is all the more accessible to artists and our society at large. This festival promotes awareness and appreciation for the identity and culture of Malta and Valletta whilst embracing the value of culture in people's lives.

This programme not only contains numerous events where the public can enjoy and participate in various activities, but it will also offer the opportunity for local and international artists to showcase their talents. This year’s edition will have 584 artists and more than 50 artistic events.

Now that Notte Bianca will return in full glory, thanks also to the hard work of the Festivals Malta team, we will continue developing this festival to offer more opportunities to various local artists, expose Malta as a cultural destination, and offer entertainment, as well as educational and artistic value to our audiences.

Every street and every piazza will be overtaken by the event, with stages all around the capital city. Museums and state palaces will keep their doors open to the public, which is a particularly nice touch. Many host exhibitions or performances to become part of the celebration.

Valletta will have something going on in every corner, with the main stage in St. George's Square, roaming performances, an alternative stage in Laparelli Gardens, and an installation in Tritoni Square, among many other initiatives. The latter will undoubtedly be very nostalgic event as we will see the traditional Maltese buses exhibited in a unique way.

The performances are organised into different routes, such as the children's route with activities that will start from 4:00 p.m.; the music route, which includes various genres like jazz, blues, pop, rock and much more; the classical route; the theatre route; the dance route; and the alternative route, featuring ethnic music with the participation of Fakawi, Manatapu, Tribali and Trakadum in Gnien Laparelli.

Notte Bianca will bring the capital city to life for an evening of entertainment that will appeal to everyone's interests, with various events for the whole family that include music, dancing, installations and theatre, among others. 

This year's tagline, 'Anything you want, you got it,’ inspired the jingle for the festival, which is a cover of the refrain from Roy Orbison's classic song 'You Got It.’

The refrain of this song was chosen as it embodies the variety of this year's programme.

 

JOSE CURA at the Manoel Theatre

World-famous for his intense and original interpretations of opera characters, as well as for his unconventional and innovative concert performances, tenor José Cura is a familiar name atop the marquees of the most prestigious theatres that will be visiting Malta on two different occasions.

José Luis Victor Cura Gómez, an Argentine operatic tenor, conductor, director, scenographer, and photographer, was born on December 5, 1962. He is renowned for his intense and distinctive interpretations of opera characters, including Otello in Verdi's Otello, Samson in Saint-Saens' Samson et Dalila, Canio in Ruggero Leoncavallo's Pagliacci, and Stiffeli.

The international premiere of La Commedia è finita took place in 2007. His career as a director and scenographer was launched with the production, which José Cura also planned and directed. He also sang the central role of Canio. He then performed Samson et Dalila at the Badisches Staatstheater in 2010(in which he also sang the title role), La Rondine at the Opéra national de Lorraine (in which he also conducted), Cavalleria Rusticana and Pagliacci at the Opéra Royal de Wallonie both in 2012, singing the roles of Turiddu and Canio in both productions. 

The first concert will be this Sunday, 2 October, at 7:30 pm at the Manoel Theatre, Valletta.

The highlight of Cura’s concert in Malta will be one of his compositions, a song cycle based on the sonnets of one of the most influential poets of the 20th century, Pablo Neruda. Written between 1995 and 2006, Si muero, sobrevíveme! (If I die, survive me!) will see the participation of renowned Maltese actress Jane Marshall who will give life to the character of Neruda’s wife, Matilde Urrutia.

Also, Cura will return to Teatru Manoel for the second concert in March 2023 with a new production of Giacomo Puccini’s opera Tosca. Teatru Manoel will produce this opera together with Valletta Cultural Agency.

These initiatives of this type are so important because they put the theatre at the forefront. This is perfectly in line with our efforts as a Government to continue investing in this form of theatre, which is so loved and appreciated.

Despite the lack of an opera in recent years due to the pandemic, it was always a priority that opera remains an annual appointment on our calendar.

Having another world-renowned artist heading to our Capital City is something to be proud of.  This is sterling news for Malta’s classical music industry.

A quality product needs to be the order of the day if we truly want to achieve our vision of making Malta a hub of culture for the years to come, and we will not stop here. We shall continue our hard work in the creative sector; I look forward to witnessing the incremental development of our creative industries.

The past few years taught us how important it is to utilise our energy and resources in music, arts, and culture, as this is ultimately the soul of a nation.  

The transnational collaboration that is going to take place is going to give both domestic and foreign artists a sense of community.

This clearly shows our clear commitment to have a thriving art and culture ecosystem.