Overview
OPENING DATE
END DATE
VENUESt. James Church
CATEGORIES
Concert
The Baroque Church of Saint James in Merchants Street Valletta houses Valletta Resounds, a weekly music-theatre performance inspired by the captivating story of the church and the capital of the Maltese Islands through storytelling and classical music.
Time stops as one steps into the baroque capsule of the captivating 1710 building, the setting of a new weekly site-specific performance. Valletta Resounds elegantly strings together the church’s ornate charm married with theatrical storytelling and timeless classical music from the baroque period. The church’s high ceilings and naturally reverberative acoustics make it an exquisite venue for live sacred music, backdropped magnificently with paintings featuring work by the revered Italian artist, Filippo Paladini.
Critically acclaimed Maltese musicians under the musical direction of Jacob Portelli are at the helm of the site-specific performance, bringing to life the works of Baroque Masters such as Handel and Bach along with the sound of sacred Maltese baroque music by composer Francesco Decesare and more. Sung to perfection by some of Malta’s most esteemed sopranos, Dorothy Bezzina, Dorothy Baldacchino and Marouska Attard, the music is beautifully brought to life on Baroque Harp, Baroque Violin, Baroque Cello and on the Psaltery. This auditory delight is woven harmoniously with stories of the church and its custodians narrated by the ever-charming and quirky character of sacristan Pintu, written and performed by Jeremy Grech. The sacristan swiftly moves the performance through the ages; from the Knights of St John who majestically embellished the church’s interiors, through all the wars that left scars on the building’s robust facade.
Valletta Resounds is an immersive music-theatre experience that goes beyond the performative aspect. It delves deep into the history of a church that has seen the beloved capital of a nation develop into the cherished city it has now become, through different periods and rulers including the Grandmasters, French and British.
Valletta Resounds is performed in English with translations of the text in Spanish, German, French and Italian. The production is performed at noon every Thursday, Friday and Saturday starting from the 13th of October with a special free preview at the ever-popular Notte Bianca on the 1st of October. Tickets at €10 may be purchased at the door or from www.showshappening.com
Creative Team
Cast
Soprano Dorothy Bezzina
Soprano Marouska Attard
Soprano Dorothy Baldacchino
BAROQUE CELLO, BAROQUE VIOLIN, BAROQUE HARP & PSALTERYJacob Portelli
Actor Jeremy Grech
Gallery
Udjenza Says
