The Three Palaces Festival’s 7th edition launched

Festivals Malta has launched the 7th edition of The Three Palaces Festival at an event at Palazzo Pariso in Naxxar, which will serve as one of the magnificent backdrops of this year’s festival.

This year brings with it a new tagline – realising that our ordinary is actually extraordinary - a theme that runs deep within the programme of events.

Speaking at the launch, Justice, Culture and Local Government Minister Owen Bonnici yesterday commented that the importance of such festivals, “does not only do they serve as a platform for local artists to showcase their talent, but they offer a unique way to experience music and the arts in magnificent buildings which carry so much history.”

Bonnici described this amalgamation as a great way to bring different aspects of our culture together, and also noted the fact that the festival keeps on aiding in making culture and the arts more accessible due to its different locations.

Running between 1 and 10 November, the festival will see the participation of artists of exceptional talent from Malta and around the world.

Highlights include The Orfeo Experience, which is being organised in collaboration with The Valletta Cultural Agency at the splendid Casino Maltese – a participatory and immersive opera experience featuring countertenor William Purefoy as Orfeo, La Conversione di un Cavallo. Tableaux Vivants da Caravaggio by the talented troupe at Ludovica Rambelli Teatro - an exceptional event that will literally bring Caravaggio paintings to life, and a piano recital by the sensational Angela Hewitt, a classical pianist renowned for her Bach interpretations who will perform a superb programme featuring works from Beethoven and Bach in the magnificent Gran Salon at the Museum of Archaeology.

Festivals Malta Director Annabelle Stivala explained how, “The Three Palaces Festival is a very prestigious celebration of music and cultural heritage where the musical excellence is only matched by the uniqueness of the settings in which it is performed.”

In her first year as Artistic Director of The Three Palaces Festival, Michelle Castelletti will present a programme of artistic excellence designed to stimulate and entice the community. Her vision translates into an interdisciplinary portfolio of music and visual art performances within historically significant spaces in Valletta and beyond.

“Centuries ago, these buildings were crafted by the Knights of St John and, today, they continue to bring people together in a wonderful way – through music,” Ms Castelletti said.