The Manoel Theatre will be presenting the Fioretto Ensemble and alto Lydia Vierlinger (pictured) in a concert of baroque music next Tuesday, 12 January at 8pm. The programme begins with Telemann’s cantata for alto, transverse flute and continuo, Kein Vogel kann im Weiten fliegen from his Harmonischen Gottesdienst. It continues with Rameau’s Cinquième concert en trio for transverse flute, viola da gamba and harpsichord followed by another Telemann cantata, Seufzen, Kummer, Angst und Tränen scored for alto and continuo while Blavet’s five-movement La Lumage for transverse flute and continuo ends the first half. The second half begins with a Handel aria, Piangete from La Resurrezione, a work for alto, viola da gamba and continuo. Telemann returns with a Trio Sonata in A minor for transverse flute, viola da gamba and continuo and the concert ends with Handel’s cantata Mi palpita il cor, for alto, transverse flute and continuo.

Linz-born alto Lydia Vierlinger is no newcomer to Malta. After studying piano and violin she studied voice and vocal pedagogy at Vienna’s University of Music and Performing Arts. She has worked with Diane Forlano in London and Herwig Reiter in Vienna where since 2004 she has served as associate professor teaching voice at her old University. Over the years she has become widely acclaimed as a singer of old music and has worked with several well-known conductors such as Adam Fischer, René Clemencic, Martin Haselböck, Adrian Leaper, Michael Radulescu and Jörg Zwicker. She has appeared at all leading Austrian Festivals and concert halls and several others abroad such as Le Mans, Salamanca, Barcelona, Venice, Perugia, Madrid, Amsterdam, Bayreuth, Berlin, Würzburg, Prague and New York.

Lydia Vierlinger has several CDs to her credit including one featuring Brahms rarities, a solo CD of Handel arias, and a live recording of a previously lost Telemann opera, Pastorelle en Musique in the revival performance of which she had previously taken part. Important tours in 2008-9 were in Serbia, Hungary and Germany singing in Bach’s B minor Mass and the St John Passion.

The Fioretto Ensemble consists of three ladies: Tilla Dotzler (viola da gamba) who is from Munich, Elke Eckerstorfer (harpsichord) from Linz and Judith Wigelbeyer (transverse flute) who is also Austrian, from Vöcklabruck. All three ladies have studied in their native countries and abroad and have performed widely at home and abroad. Tilla Dotzler also specialises in baroque dance and teaches at Masaryk University in Brno, Czech Republic. Elke Eckerstorfer eventually returned as tutor to Vienna’s University of Music and Performing Arts where she had also studied.

For bookings phone 2124 6389; fax: 2124 7451; email: [email protected]; web site: www.teatrumanoel.com.mt