Hi, Y'all,
The Maltese are good business people, but they are not just focused on numbers, data and facts. On the contrary - all the Maltese people I have met so far have a strong love of music, dance and/or singing. It starts with the fact that all Maltese, without exception, are ardent supporters of the Eurovision Song Contest and Malta takes part every year (definitely more successful than Germanyzeropoints). The event is the number one topic of conversations for weeks, and on the evening of the broadcast, the streets are as empty as in Germany during the World Cup final with La Mannschaft participating. There is also of course "Malta's got Talent" (i.e. "Malta sucht den Superstar" in German), "Dancing with the Stars" (in German "Let's Dance" - haha) and countless smaller events where local and extremely talented artists perform. On the small island of Gozo are even two opera houses, and the tenor Joseph Calleja is internationally known. I even saw him lately in a Netflix documentary about Mario Lanza.
Even international artists like to come to Malta - Elton John has been here, for example, and Tina Turner; Robbie Williams, Christina Aguilera and André Rieu performed here this summer (there's no arguing with taste, though), and Ed Sheeran will be here next year. I'm still waiting for an appearance of Depeche Mode, and although that is unfortunately not in sight, hope dies last.
And then there are all the local music groups, the so-called band clubs, of which there is definitely one, if not several, in every small town. Mellieha, for example, has at least two. A band club of course also has a clubhouse, but it's not just a place where music is played, but often also a real pub or restaurant where you an have a decent meal for small money. These band clubs do great youth work, which means that from around the age of five, the young artists are introduced to an instrument with regular lessons, the instrument is provided by the club, and participation in the practice lessons or choir rehearsals is free. There is also no membership fee or additional payment for the uniform (e.g. polo shirt with club logo, uniform scarf for women or tie for men) - which means that there are a lot of excellent musicians in Malta, because anyone who wants has access to musical education.
Who knows me well also might know that I was with various choirs since the age of 7, although I haven't actively sung in the last few years (only a few shower performances here and there). But it deemed a good idea to start again, because it's a great way to get in touch with people and to integrate into society. And so I've been singing with the Choral and Orchestral Society Maria Bambina since July!
A few days before our daughter's wedding we had a huge concert with our orchestra and some guest musicians. It took place in the church square in Mellieha and was part of the extensive activities of the big annual feast at the beginning of September. We presented a colorful mix of English, Maltese and Italian musical and pop songs (e.g. The Ascot Gavotte from My Fair Lady, Eleanor Rigby by the Beatles, a Tina Turner medley and one by a well-known Maltese group). In between there were also instrumental pieces by our orchestra, some accompanied by various dancers, and at the end - as almost always on the island - there were fireworks as the grand finale.
Last Saturday we had a concert with sacred or classical music in the Mdina Cathedral. By the way (insert a little education here), Mdina was the old capital until they chose Valletta in 1571 to be the new capital of Malta. The reason behind: From Mdina you can see almost the entire island, but from Valletta you have a better overview of the harbour and the sea - the risk of being attacked from within was probably lower than from the sea. Anyway, Mdina is beautiful and its cathedral is stunning. Our concert was a matinee (Saturday morning, 10:30) and moreover a collab with the La Valette Band Club which is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year.
Not exactly sure whether Monsignor Marco Frisina came to Malta specifically for these celebrations, but his timing was extraordinary. If you're wondering who he is (and I surely did): Monsignor Frisina is an Italian priest, choir director and composer (among others, film music). Under John Paul II he was bandmaster of the Lateran Basilica, he has composed for various TV and film projects and has even worked with Ennio Morricone. For Benedict XVI he has written several oratorios and has been a lecturer at two pontifical universities for 20 years (yes, there are several).
