Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture and Marcia Slava the highlight of the La Stella's annual band concert

Peter Ilych Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture together with the composer's Marcia Slava will definitely be the highlight of the annual band concert of the La Stella Philharmonic (established in 1863), held at the Teatru Astra this Saturday 21 November.

The concert features a wide selection of music, from the most popular to classical and opera.

The colossal overture was played to great success this April, during the band's concert in honour of St George, on the liturgical feast celebrated in the Gozo capital. The challenging work will be played once again as a fitting close to the band's annual principal event, preceded by the composer's Marcia Slava, a rarity for any concert to have the Russian composer's two grand works played alongside each other.

Other highlights within the programme, to be played Saturday, include Fortuna Imperatrix Mundi from Carl Orff's Carmina Burana, Emile Waldteufel's popular waltz Estudiantina, a selection from Georges Bizet's I Pescatori di Perle and a fitting tribute to Pop Music's greatest Legend Michael Jackson, with an arrangement of his greatest work Thriller.

The La Stella Philharmonic will be conducted by its resident conductor Prof. Mro. Joseph Vella. Entrance to the concert, which starts at 7.30pm, is free of charge.

The event brings to an end the 8^th edition of Festival Mediterranea, that kicked off on the 23 October, and that included the double-representation of Giuseppe Verdi's masterpiece opera Rigoletto, several concerts, food and wine, a dance spectacle, as well as site-visits to areas of historical and archaeological importance in Malta and Gozo, led by Dr David Trump.

The festival is organised by the Teatru Astra in collaboration with the Malta Tourism Authority, Air Malta, Heritage Malta, the Vodafone Foundation and Bank of Valletta.