In this year’s double-bill production for the Valletta Early Opera Festival, Festivals Malta and Teatru Manoel present two rarely staged one-act operas by Christoph Willibald Gluck: 𝓘𝓵 𝓟𝓪𝓻𝓷𝓪𝓼𝓸 𝓒𝓸𝓷𝓯𝓾𝓼𝓸 and 𝓛𝓪 𝓒𝓸𝓻𝓸𝓷𝓪.
Selected through the artistic direction of Kenneth Zammit Tabona, these two operas were composed in 1765 for the Habsburg court in the royal court of the palace of Schönbrunn in Vienna. Whilst Il Parnaso Confuso was written and performed in 1765 to celebrate the Archduke Joseph’s nuptial to Princess Maria Josepha of Bavaria, La Corona which was originally intended to be performed for Archduke Francis’ name day was only performed for the first time in 1987
𝓘𝓵 𝓟𝓪𝓻𝓷𝓪𝓼𝓸 𝓒𝓸𝓷𝓯𝓾𝓼𝓸 is 𝒶 𝓌𝒾𝓉𝓉𝓎 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓅𝓁𝒶𝓎𝒻𝓊𝓁 𝓌𝑜𝓇𝓀 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝒾𝓂𝒶𝑔𝒾𝓃𝑒𝓈 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝑀𝓊𝓈𝑒𝓈 𝑜𝒻 𝑀𝑜𝓊𝓃𝓉 𝒫𝒶𝓇𝓃𝒶𝓈𝓈𝓊𝓈 competing over who should perform at a royal wedding. The opera blends satire and charm, revealing the creative rivalries among the goddesses of music and poetry. The cast features Gillian Zammit as Apollo, Cledia Micallef as Euterpe, Gabrielle Portelli as Erato, and Caterina Iora as Melpomene.
𝓛𝓪 𝓒𝓸𝓻𝓸𝓷𝓪 𝓅𝓇𝑒𝓈𝑒𝓃𝓉𝓈 𝒶 𝓂𝑜𝓇𝑒 𝒹𝓇𝒶𝓂𝒶𝓉𝒾𝒸 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒽𝑒𝓇𝑜𝒾𝒸 𝓉𝑜𝓃𝑒, 𝓇𝑒𝒸𝑜𝓊𝓃𝓉𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓂𝓎𝓉𝒽 𝑜𝒻 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒞𝒶𝓁𝓎𝒹𝑜𝓃𝒾𝒶𝓃 𝐵𝑜𝒶𝓇 𝐻𝓊𝓃𝓉. The opera revolves around the question of who among the brave warriors deserves the honour of slaying the beast. Ultimately, the glory is attributed to the goddess Diana. Francesca Aquilina takes the role of Atalanta, with Gillian Zammit as Meleagra, Caterina Iora as Climene, and Bettina Zammit as Asteria.
This year, Brett Nicholas Brown will be stage director with set design by Anthony Bonnici and costume design by Luke Azzopardi, known for his refined, historically informed aesthetic. Lighting design is by Moritz Zavan Stoeckle. Choreography will be by Simon Riccardi-Zani.
Together, these operas offer a compelling evening of contrasting tones brought to life by a largely Maltese cast and creative team.
𝓒𝓡𝓔𝓐𝓣𝓘𝓥𝓔 𝓣𝓔𝓐𝓜
Conductor & Assistant Conductor - Giulio Prandi & Giacomo Biagi
Stage Director - Brett Nicholas Brown
Costume Designer - Luke Azzopardi
Set Designer - Anthony Bonnici
Light Designer - Moritz Zavan Stoeckle
𝓒𝓐𝓢𝓣
𝓘𝓵 𝓟𝓪𝓻𝓷𝓪𝓼𝓸 𝓒𝓸𝓷𝓯𝓾𝓼𝓸
Apollo – Gillian Zammit
Euterpe – Cledia Micallef
Erato – Gabrielle Portelli
Melpomene – Caterina Iora
𝓛𝓪 𝓒𝓸𝓻𝓸𝓷𝓪
Atalanta – Francesca Aquilina
Meleagra – Gillian Zammit
Climene – Caterina Iora
Asteria – Bettina Zammit
𝓞𝓡𝓒𝓗𝓔𝓢𝓣𝓡𝓐
Arianna Art Ensemble
––––––––––––––
𝓣𝓘𝓒𝓚𝓔𝓣𝓢
www.festivals.mt/veof
𝓒𝓸𝓷𝓬𝓮𝓼𝓼𝓲𝓸𝓷𝓼 are applicable to senior citizens (over 60 years), persons with a disability* (on presentation of a valid disability card), students (on presentation of student card), European Youth Card holders (on presentation of card), and minors (between 11 -16 years)
*Persons with a disability can send an email to
Ym9va2luZ3MgfCB0ZWF0cnVtYW5vZWwgISBtdA== with a digital copy of the European Disability Card and a copy of the ticket/s purchased for a complimentary companion ticket.
Also check out other Arts events in Valletta, Festivals in Valletta, Literary Art events in Valletta.
