Jan 09 (newsonjapan.com) - This April and May, Malta will host the tenth anniversary edition of the InClassica International Music Festival, a three-week long celebration of classical music featuring world-renowned soloists, leading international orchestras and celebrated conductors.
From 17th April to 11th May, Malta’s historic Mediterranean Conference Centre (MCC) will host InClassica, the largest classical music festival to have taken place in the Maltese Archipelago and the first large-scale European classical music event in 2021.
InClassica features appearances by some of the biggest names in classical music today including Martha Argerich, Rudolf Buchbinder, Gautier Capuçon, Danielle De Niese, Daniel Hope, Gidon Kremer, Denis Matsuev, Akiko Ebi, Andreas Ottensammer, Grigory Sokolov and Maxim Vengerov (full list of soloists available here).
An unprecedented six international orchestras will travel to Malta for the festival, each performing a range of concerts in addition to performances by the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra and Malta Youth Orchestra. The Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra (Israel), Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (UK), Orchestre Philharmonique Royal de Liège (Belgium), Russian National Orchestra, Armenian State Symphony Orchestra and Deutsche Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz (Germany) will all appear at InClassica, performing a range of works including symphonies, concertos, overtures and tone poems.
In addition to the international orchestras and soloists performing at InClassica, the event also welcomes eight leading conductors to Malta. Maestros Dmitry Yablonsky, Michael Francis, Marius Stravinsky, Gergely Madaras, Alexander Sladkovsky, Gianluca Marciano, Alexander Shelley, and Sergey Smbatyan will direct the orchestras across the festival’s 25 days of consecutive evening concerts, in an extensive programme of events celebrating the very best of classical music.
The festival will feature a wide range of music, ranging from baroque to contemporary, as well as performances of works by the festival’s Composer-In-Residence, Alexey Shor. InClassica will present a premiere performance of Shor’s new Violin Concerto, as well as his Images from the Great Siege, a large-scale orchestral work portraying Malta’s titanic struggle against the Ottoman Empire in 1565. Numerous other works by the composer are also programmed throughout the festival including his Crystal Palace ballet suite, as played at the 40th anniversary of the Gramophone Awards ceremony in London 2017.
InClassica will be held in Malta’s capital city Valletta at the newly renovated 16th century Mediterranean Conference Centre, a historic edifice boasting stunning architecture and breathtaking views of the city’s Grand Harbour, and is organised by the European Foundation for Support of Culture (EUFSC) and the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra. The EUFSC works to promote cultural and education projects in Europe and around the world, each year organising concerts, festivals, masterclasses, competitions, lectures and other events, with InClassica the Foundation’s flagship event and the annual culmination of its annual activities.
“On behalf of myself and everyone at the EUFSC I would like to express our excitement and pride as we finalise preparations for InClassica. This groundbreaking festival is not only a significant milestone in our history and for Malta’s cultural landscape, but also a vital respite from the difficulties faced by the arts and culture sectors in the last year. InClassica promises performances from some of the world’s finest artists, orchestras and conductors, and I cannot wait to welcome our valued audiences to the festival as we celebrate ten years of InClassica.” – Konstantin Ishkhanov, President of the EUFSC.
In addition to the wide-ranging programme of concerts on offer at the festival, InClassica will also host the Classic Piano International Competition, an event which will see 70 virtuosic young pianists compete for a total prize fund of 300,000 EUR. This event marks the culmination of 14 Ways to Malta, a series of international piano opens taking place across the globe over the last two years. The five top-ranked pianists from each event will compete in Malta across four rounds as they bring their talent, technical skill and professionalism to bear in a bid for first prize. Classic Piano will feature a series of afternoon performances taking place 20 April – 9 May, with the concerts in the last two rounds featuring performances with the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra led by Gianluca Marciano.
InClassica also welcomes the inclusion of the EUFSC’s Malta Classical Music Academy (MCMA), a three week programme of educational events including masterclasses, lectures and open lessons with some of the world’s most respected professors. The Academy offers tuition in strings, piano, wind and opera studies, as well as holding daily lunchtime concerts. Those interested in applying should visit the website.
To find out more about InClassica or to book tickets please visit the website.
