ART
“VII” Exhibition
Until 16 June at the Upper Galleries at St James Cavalier in Valletta
Art and Sin? Sounds like a recipe for controversy, which has haunted artists’ and writers’ imaginations for centuries. The struggle between Good and Evil has characterised literary tales and the history of painting for so long that one could say that Western culture in general and common perceptions of right and wrong have been intensely influenced by artistic representations of Sin. Every year an Art exhibition organised by the 4th year Bachelor of Education Art students is held. The thorny theme they chose to deal with this year is that of the Seven Deadly Sins, hence the title “VII”. Through a variety of different media ranging from film to painting and installations, seven students, each focusing on one particular sin, aim to reach multiple audiences through their interpretations of the Seven Vices.
Images from Life
Until 30 June at Art..e Gallery in Victoria, Gozo
Images from Life is the title of an art exhibition by Maria Cassar that is presently being mounted at the Art..e Gallery of Victoria, Gozo. This is the first solo exhibition by the artist. The works on show are varied and have been produced over a number of years. Maria shows versatility in her works and a keen sense of observation especially in the portraits of various people. Part of the proceeds will be donated to ‘The Friends of the Sick and Elderly in Gozo’, a volunteer group that assists the infirm and sick persons both at the Gozo hospital and also those staying in their own homes.
Art..e Gallery is situated at 1, Library Street, Victoria (adjacent to St Augustine Square) and is open Mondays to Saturdays from 9.30am to 12.15pm. On Fridays the gallery is also open from 5pm till 7pm. Private viewing may be arranged by phoning 9980-4774 and 2155-7911, or email [email protected].
Police Photography by Stephen Busuttil
5 June – 19 July 2009 at the Main Hall St James Cavalier
Stephen Busuttil’s passion for policing is equal to his passion for photography. His first solo exhibition portrays all areas of the Malta Police, including a special feature of his iconic Father and Son portrait. Shot over a three year period, day and night, indoor and outdoor, Stephen only used available light, demonstrating his masterful skills of his beloved profession, photography.
Stephen was invited by the Maltese Government to be an Official Photographer of the celebrations of Malta’s accession to the European Union and for the prestigious Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM). Twice International-Award Winner in Press and PR category, Stephen earned several other distinguishing awards and assignments. In 2006, he received the ultimate accolade in professional photography earning him a recipient of the Fellowship Distinction Award. Stephen is also a Qualified Italian Photographer, the highest professional accreditation in Italy.
Theatre
Truth or Dare
Du` Theatre
5, 6, 7 June 2009 at MITP Theatre, St Christopher street, Valletta at 8pm
Four strange sisters. Three eccentric musicians. Seven deadly sins. One game. Truth or Dare? These are the ingredients in the latest piece by the Du` girls and their musicians. We join these outlandish characters as they journey through a labyrinth of quests which will make them face their weaknesses and their fears, which ultimately only the strongest will survive. The plot surrounds four sisters: Melinda, Cornelia, Henrietta and Isabella. Four failed performing artists who live in a bizarre world of their own creation. A fight for supremacy ensues between the four and a dangerous game is deemed to be the only way through which this dominance may be established. The game taps into the partiality of the girls towards the seven deadly sins which they have to face through various funny, tough, weird and perilous circus-inspired acts.
Truth or Dare marks the tenth piece created and produced by the girls who are also celebrating their fifth anniversary this year. It is an original piece written by Simone Spiteri with a line up including actors Franica Pulis, Magda van Kuilenburg, Kristjana Casha and Simone Spiteri and musicians Tim Ellis, Chris Cini as composers of the original score. The opening night shall be followed by a reception for audience members kindly sposored by Marsovin.
For more information visit www.dutheatre.com or email on [email protected]. Tickets may be booked or bought from St James Cavalier on 2122-3216/200 or [email protected]. For further information you may also call on 7999-3388.
MUSIC
The Bir Miftuh International Music Festival
Until 26 June at the Chapel of Santa Marija Ta Bir Miftuh, Mellieha
The Bir Miftuh International Music Festival will this year consist of a cycle of five concerts. The Chapel of Santa Marija ta’ Bir Miftuh with its medieval architecture of fluted arches and frescoes, provides perfect acoustics and a unique backdrop for high calibre musicians from Italy, France, Germany, Austria, Malta, and this year’s added contribution from Belgium.
A Flute and Accordion Concert by the Duo Arcadio Baracchi and Ivano Battiston is the third concert on 6 June, an unusual Flute and Accordion recital. These two established Italian musicians are protaganists in many renowned festivals and follow extensive concert calendars. Arcadio Baracchi, who lectures at the Accademia di Musica di Firenze, has performed at the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, the Biennale di Venezia, while Ivano Battiston, has played as a solo accordionist with many leading orchestras amongst which the RAI Torino, Milano Classica, the Arturo Toscanini Emilia Romagna Symphony Orchestra. Their repertoire will include works by Bartok/Battiston, M. Panni, J.S. Bach, I.Battiston and Piazzolla/Battiston. The fourth concert, on Friday 19 June will be a Violin, Viola and Cello Recital by the ProMuzika Ensemble composed of Nemania Ljubinkovic on the violin, Sarah Spiteri, on the viola, and Rahia Angela Awalom on the cello. Formed in 2004, The ProMuzika Ensemble is one of Malta’s leading chamber ensembles. The two main works to be performed at the concert are Bach’s Art of the Fugue and Mozart’s String Trio in E flat MajorThe final concert on 26 June, will be a Vocal and Harp Concert by Marie-Pierre Wattiez, soprano, and Anne Marie Camilleri Podestá on the harp. All concerts start at 8pm. Tickets for each concert cost e20 per person, including refreshments after the performance. All funds raised through the Bir Miftuh Music Festival are dedicated to the Din l-Art Helwa’s restoration programme.
MOBY
28 June at Gianpula Fields, Rabat
This will be the first Cream Live event in Malta and will feature Moby Live accompanied by his Band on the 28 June 2009 (eve of a public holiday) at Gianpula Fields, Malta’s largest open air concert venue.
The world-renowned DJ and songwriter Moby shot to fame with his classic Play album in 1999, and since then has sold over 20 million records worldwide, winning scores of awards in the process.
Moby has been making music since he was nine years old, playing classical guitar before releasing his first single Go in 1991. His music has been used in hundreds of different films, including Tomorrow Never Dies and The Beach. He has also produced and remixed scores of other artists, including David Bowie, Metallica, and Public Enemy, among others and is currently based in New York.
CINEMA
City of Men
3 – 9, 17 – 23 June at 6.30pm and 3 – 16 June at 9pm at St James Cavalier
(In Portuguese with English subtitles)
Director Fernando Meirelles scored an unexpected hit with his disquieting 2003 feature City of God. Subsequent years saw plenty of similar fare emerging from Brazil, and Meirelles even lent a hand by contributing to the hit TV show City of Men.
This big-screen adaptation of the show follows its two central characters, best friends Ace (Douglas Silva) and Wallace (Darlan Cunha), as they are unwittingly caught up in a vicious gang war in their dilapidated favela. Ace struggles with his newfound responsibilities as a young father while Wallace searches for his errant father. Meanwhile, a brutal turf war breaks out around them, and Ace is reluctantly swept up into one of the gangs after threats on his life leave him with little choice but to join in the mayhem. Paulo Morelli’s film is a pacy, bloody thriller that pays warm tribute to a diverse cross-section of American directors including Quentin Tarantino and Michael Bay. While City of Men isn’t an official sequel to Meirelles’s lauded picture, it does serve as a neat continuation of that film’s unshakable portrayal of the violence that has beset so many young lives in the slums of Rio de Janeiro.
Phedre
25 June pre-show at 7.30pm and performance at 8pm at St James Cavalier
Tickets e20
This theatre production reaching us live from London on a cinema screen is written by Jean Racine in a version by Ted Hughes, with Helen Mirren in the main role and directed by Nicholas Hytner. Consumed by an uncontrollable passion for her young stepson and believing Theseus, her absent husband, to be dead, Phèdre confesses her darkest desires and enters the world of nightmare. When Theseus returns, alive and well, Phèdre, fearing exposure, accuses her stepson of rape. The result is carnage.
NT Live is a new initiative to broadcast live performances of National Theatre plays onto cinema screens around the world. The pilot season will launch with Nicholas Hytner’s production of Phèdre with Helen Mirren, Margaret Tyzack and Dominic Cooper. Phèdre will be performed in London on Thursday, 25 June, 2009 and broadcast live in high definition across Europe. In Malta this live broadcast will be shown exclusively at St James Cavalier Cinema.
For the St James Cavalier booking office, call 2122-3200 or visit www.sjcav.org
This information is correct
at the time of printing.
Compiled by Erika Brincat:
[email protected]