Orchestra features Grammy- and Oscar-winning composer and conductor Tan Dun.
The Malta International Arts Festival (MIAF) 2019, produced by Festivals Malta, has announced that it will feature Water Concerto, co-organised with the China Cultural Centre in Malta. The highly-anticipated musical event will take place at 9pm on Saturday 6 July at Pjazza Teatru Rjal in Valletta.
“The 2019 programme of the Malta International Arts Festival will present innovative productions with a strong interdisciplinary dimension that are accessible to a wide audience,” says Ruben Zahra, the artistic director of the MIAF 2019.
Grammy- and Oscar-winning composer and conductor Tan Dun is internationally renowned for creating radically experimental artistic formats. His Water Concerto is no different and is part of a broader exploration of making music with organic materials. Using water as a musical instrument, this hypnotic three-movement symphonic production features water manipulation through various means to create a visually-compelling and sonically-intriguing piece.
The Water Concerto is in keeping with the MIAF 2019’s theme of ‘water’ that runs through the entire festival. As Tan Dun says, “Water is a metaphor for the unity of the ephemeral and the eternal, the physical and the spiritual – as well as a symbol of baptism, renewal, re-creation and resurrection.”
The MIAF 2019’s iteration of Tan Dun’s Water Concerto features the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra, with Chinese percussionist Beibei Wang in the leading role under the direction of Czech conductor Pavel Šnajdr. Beibei is a genre-defying musician who is internationally acclaimed as a musical virtuoso. The Water Concerto programme will also include music by Hindemith, Shostakovich and Maltese composer Joseph Vella.
Since its first edition in 2005, the MIAF has remained of utmost importance in the local Maltese arts scene. Year in and year out the festival showcases local and international talent in the performing arts. It is a springboard for both budding and established local talent as well as a way to bring international artists to the Maltese shores. The Water Concerto is the epitome of the MIAF 2019’s promise to its audience. Spectators can expect an otherworldly aural experience and the very best of what Maltese talent has to offer in artistic innovation and cultural heritage.
Water Concerto is part of the Malta International Arts Festival 2019 and will take place at 9pm on 6 July at Pjazza Teatru Rjal in Valletta. To view the full programme of the Malta International Arts Festival 2019, please visit www.festivals.mt/miaf.
