President George Abela’s initiative to open the New Year’s Concert to the general public should be applauded. It was yet another innovation that Dr Abela brought to the Presidency since he was appointed last April.
“I want to bring the music of the National Philharmonic Orchestra to the people,” Dr Abela had told this newspaper in an interview in summer. And he did.
This was a dream to which Dr Abela and his staff gave life. And it was not only through last Sunday’s event that he did so.
Rockestra, held at Ta’ Qali on 12 September, was a successful experiment which everyone – from performers to the audience – enjoyed. The thousands of people who attended the event are proof that the people respond well to such initiatives.
The New Year’s concert, which the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra in the past presented for the President and his selected audience, was another step in the right direction. It was in line with Dr Abela’s wish to make the presidency relevant to people’s lives.
Dr Abela is acting on his beliefs. He has clear aims and is working hard to bring them to fruition. He is giving people the chance to appreciate music and the arts, and meanwhile is injecting enthusiasm in the young and not so young.
The President’s passion is being well-recognised by the people. His idea to remove prize-giving from the l-iStrina fund-raising activity was a risk, as it could have meant a lower income for the Malta Community Chest Fund, and yet the people understood what was behind it and responded with the same generosity that they had done in previous years.
The Education and Culture Ministry and the Malta Council for Culture and the Arts joined forces with the Office of the President to present the New Year concert at the Mediterranean Conference Centre – a much larger venue than The Palace.
It was such a pleasure and a rare experience to be able to see the President, accompanied by Mrs Abela and sitting side by side Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi, Opposition Leader Joseph Muscat and surrounded by people from different walks of life. In other words, it was another event that united the country.
Dr Abela carried a radiant smile throughout the concert. He applauded after each piece of music and often expressed his appreciation to the MPO, Maestro Micheal Laus, composer John Galea, whose original composition was performed, and the dancers, with the words “bravi”.
The 1,400 tickets made available for the event were taken up by the general public the same day they were made available and before paid adverts were published on newspapers. Many were disappointed that they did not make it, and no doubt, there will be a bigger rush for tickets in the years to come.
This positive outcome is a result of the effort, the President and his team are putting in their work.
Furthermore, the President’s initiative to gift the people with the music of the national orchestra was taken up by the MPO itself on 18 December. The orchestra had collaborated with St Monica Choir in presenting A Christmas Celebration at the St Paul’s Cathedral, Mdina. There was no entrance fee for the event and, again, the Cathedral was packed.
In both the New Year’s Concert and the Christmas concert, the audience was free to make donations in aid of the Community Chest Fund.
The interest shown in the concerts is proof that the Maltese long for such initiatives. It shows a market in the field and perhaps the time of believing classical or serious music is for elite audiences is over.