Back to What's onThe Malta International Arts Festival (MIAF) presents the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO) with an exciting programme curated to the theme Between Heaven and Hell. This music journey starts with “Cantus in memoriam Benjamin Britten” by the Estonian composer Arvo Pärt. This composition for string orchestra and bell is an early example of Pärt’s tintinnabuli style which is based on early chant music. The simple, almost spiritual canon of Pärt’s texture is contrasted by the complex and jagged rhythms of Ruben Zahra’s violin concerto composed for virtuoso Austrian soloist Daniel Auner. In the second half of the concert Auner once again takes the stage with “Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso” by Camille Saint-Saens. In the slow “Introduction”, the violin sings a plaintive melody while in the “Rondo Capriccioso”, lyricism and virtuosity combine in a most effective manner. The diabolic content of the programme is truly unleashed in the final two works: “Mephisto Waltz No. 1” by Franz Liszt and the all-time favourite “Night on Bald Mountain” by Modest Mussorgsky.
Programme
Arvo Pärt Cantus in Memoriam Benjamin Britten (1977)
Ruben Zahra Land of the Dead – violin and orchestra (2025)
intermission
Camille Saint-Saens Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso (1863)
Franz Liszt Mephisto Waltz No. 1 (1859 – 1862)
Modest Mussorgsky Night on Bald Mountain (1867)
Orchestrated by Rimsky-Korsakov in1886
Credits
violin: Daniel Auner
conductor: Michael Laus
