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the
arts
Isabel
Warrington takes a peek at the local culture scene
A tribute to Verdi
Sorgete!
Ombre Serene: an appreciation of Giuseppe Verdi's genius to mark
his centenary
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One of the more contemporary set designs for Il Trovatore
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On Tuesday morning I was privileged enough to be given a sneek preview
of the exhibition that is currently being held at the Sala Isouard
at the Manoel Theatre. When I got there, little did I know that
I would be greeted by Prof. Pierluigi Petrobelli, the man himself
responsible for all the research and hard work behind the event.
Prof. Petrobelli and his colleagues have painstakingly put together
a collection of the set designs that were created for Verdi's productions.
I must admit I was a little apprehensive of what to expect, since
I am not much of an opera enthusiast. It's thanks to my father that
I am at all familiar with opera, after spending my childhood listenting
to popular arias from Carmen and Aida played at full volume whenever
the mood siezed him.
Prof. Petrobelli, who is the Director of the Istituto Nazionale
di Studi Verdiani of Parma, soon put me at my ease by giving me
a brief introduction to what the exhibition was all about. It came
as quite a relief that I didn't need to ask all the questions myself!
As he spoke I couldn't help but become engrossed in the subject.
I felt mesmerised by his calm disposition and his intriguing explanation
of each and every painting we passed as he gave me a guided tour
of the display.
Prof. Petrobelli reading an extract
from one of Verdi's letters
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For those of
you who visit, I shall give you a brief explanation of the idea
behind this exhibition.
First of all, the title, Sorgete! Ombre Serene, was a line aptly
chosen from Verdi's last opera, Falstaff.
The exhibition is split up into three sections. The first section
relates to Attila, Macbeth, Don Carlos and La Forza del Destino.
The second deals with Rigoletto, Simon Bocca-negra, Aida, Otello
and Falstaff.
The last section is dedicated entirely to Il Trovatore.
In each section there are the set designs for the premier performances,
then the more contemporary set designs. It is interesting to see
the different interpretations of each artist.
What is quite amusing to read is the correspondence between Verdi
and his designers, extracts of which help to further illustrate
each section.
Through his letters we can see that Verdi was a very fastidious
director. He often had problems trying to explain exactly what he
wanted as his set design, which led to him to fall out with a number
of designers. It was only after his death that people really started
to understand what he wanted. His aim was to keep the stage as free
from clutter as possible so that the focus would be on the performance
rather than the scenery, and actors would not be hampered by clumsy
props and lack of space. In fact, the more contemporary designs
tend to be much cleaner, some almost minimalist. I wonder what he
would have thought of them?
Prof. Petrobelli has taken his exhibition around the world and after
Malta he will be showing it in Copenhagen and then Cairo.
Sorgete! Ombre Serene is held under the auspices of the Italian
Cultural Institute. This is the Manoel Theatre's contribution to
the Opera Festival this season. It will run until the 29 April.
The opening hours are between 10am and 12 noon and 2pm and 4.30pm.
Entrance is free. You may also be lucky to be given a guided tour
by one of the ‘friends of the Manoel Theatre'. The best time
for this is in the morning.
I must say that – through this exhibition, I have perhaps become
less ignorant about opera and I recommend that anyone with a love
for theatre and art visit this exquisite collection.
Keep a look out
Dance
Tonight, students from the College of Jazz Dance will be staging
their choreographies at the Salesians Theatre in Guze Howard Street,
Sliema. The idea is to give students who have graduated from the
Advanced Classes a chance to demonstrate their skills both as dancers
and choreographers after another gruelling year of hard work at
the school. The performance starts at 7pm and tickets can be bought
at the door half an hour before, at Lm2.
Omaggio a Magritte by Giulio Montini from the
photographic exhibition
at Gallarija 'Il-Foyer'
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Photography
An
exhibition entitled Grand Prix D'Europe is currently being held
at the Gallerija ‘Il-Foyer', National Labour Centre, Hamrun
and will run until the 24 April. It is organised by Image Sans Frontière,
a European Photographic Organisation established in France whose
main objective is to support high-quality photography everywhere
in Europe.
Theatre
ActReacT are staging Godspell, the pop musical based on the Gospel
of St Matthew. It is an exciting and moving musical about the life
and teachings of Jesus Christ and is suitable for all the family.
Audience members are encouraged to feel part of the production as
the cast performs all around the theatre. Godspell will run at the
Manoel Theatre at 7.30pm from 6 to 11 April with a matinee on 8
April at 3pm. So come along and ‘Prepare Ye the Way of the
Lord'.
Noel Coward's Private Lives is currently being staged by the MADC
at the Clubrooms in Sta Venera. Performances are today and 6, 7,
8 April. Tickets are being sold from Cassar & Cooper, Valletta
between 10am to 12 noon and Exotique, Sliema between 5pm and 7pm,
or at the door half an hour before the performance. Definitely not
to be missed!
One production that I'm looking forward to is Deja Revue –
a series of 24 comical and satirical sketches and songs that are
guaranteed to have the audience in fits of laughter throughout.
Masquerade will be staging this event at the Manoel Theatre on the
27, 28, 29 April.
Music
The 26th edition of L-Ghanja tal-Poplu is once again being held
at the University Theatre on 20 and 21 April. It is a concert of
Maltese songs with a social and humouristic theme. The committee
is publishing 3,500 CDs with songs from the concert. All profits
go to the Eden Foundation.
Lydia Caruana will be performing at a classical recital on 7 April
at the Casino Maltese, Valletta. The recital will include songs
and arias by masters of the classical world including Schubert,
Bellini, Rossini, Fauré, Donizetti, Mozart and Puccini. For
details of ticket sales turn to page 2 of ThisWeek (because I'm
running out of space).
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