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

20 November 2009

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...

Unforgettable indeed!

19 November 2009

On Saturday 14 November, a full house at the Teatru Astra acclaimed the strong cast made up of one hundred and fifty wonderful, enthusiastic and dedicated dancers, all in sky-high spirits, when they took the curtain call right at the end of a spectacular show which will truly remain Unforgettable, as...

The La Stella Soloists in concert

11 November 2009

The 2009 edition of Festival Mediterranea, yet again this year, dug for musical treasure into its own cultural soil and, without the need to go very deep, came up with riches that delighted the audience that gathered in the Aula Mgr. G. Farrugia of St George's basilica to listen to Mario Galea (clarinet),...

UNFORGETTABLE at the Astra

8 November 2009

Final rehearsals are underway for the "UNFORGETTABLE" dance show being staged by Centre Stage Dance Academy at the Teatru Astra, on Saturday 14 November at 7:30pm. Under the artistic direction of Miss Natalie Sciortino, Unforgettable has a cast of 150 dancers together with a choir of over 40 children....

Rigoletto as enthralling as ever

5 November 2009

After an 11-year absence, the tragic, woebegone Rigoletto trod again upon the stage of the Astra in Gozo, in two performances last Thursday and Saturday, the former of which is under review here. Rigoletto remains one of Verdi's most popular and widely performed operas. Its tale of human tragedy retains...

Rigoletto at the Teatru Astra: beyond compare

4 November 2009

Every opera buff and his dog knows that when it comes to opera, head north, i.e. Gozo and specifically, Teatru Astra in Victoria. Two packed houses enjoyed Verdi's masterpiece on Thursday 29 and Saturday 31 October: a highly entertaining, exciting and novel production, inspired by an in depth reading...

Full house for Verdi's Rigoletto

31 October 2009

Tonight is another big night for Teatru Astra, and Festival Mediterranea. Following last Thursday's huge success in the first performance of Rigoletto, tonight a full house awaits the second and last performance of Verdi's three act opera. Unfortunately during the last days Teatru Astra had to turn away...

Popular Festival Mediterranea heritage events led by Dr David Trump

27 October 2009

This year's edition of Festival Mediterranea returns with the popular Heritage Events series led by Dr David Trump, including the exclusive Hypogeum tours. Four visits are scheduled in all; on Wednesday, 4 November 2009, at 9.00am and 10.00am and on Friday, 6 November 2009, at 10.00 and 11.00am. Places...

Festival Mediterranea offers pathos and infantile charm

26 October 2009

The lunchtime concert presented to the Gozitan public by the Italian Embassy on Saturday, October 24, 2009, widened the breath of this year's Festival Mediterranea with music that, to my knowledge, features only rarely on the local scene. It ranged from Garcia Lorca's painful pathos to the later Gioacchino...

Organ Music from St George's launches Festival Mediterranea

24 October 2009

A fascinating evening of organ music played on the late 18th century pipe organ located in St Michael's Hall, St George's basilica, opened this year's edition of Festival Mediterranea.Richard Vendome, an organist and musicologist based in Oxford, performed works by composers spanning five centuries....