The Malta Independent on Sunday
INTERNATIONAL SPRING ORCHESTRA FESTIVAL
‘The Revolution and its Composers’
Alexandra Mara Camilleri, currently reading for a postgraduate degree on Antoine Favray’s drawings in the Department of Art and Art History at the University of Malta, catches up with the International Spring Orchestra’s artistic director –
KARL FIORINI – to discuss this year’s newest instalment in one of Maltese most well established musical festivals. Festivals Malta and Valletta 2018 Foundation have joined forces for this year’s ISOFestival which will run from 6 to 14 April, with a slew of different events for all ages and musical tastes. The raison d’être of this interview lies in the intrinsic ties between current events, historical research and art, of which parallel lines and divergences are replete throughout. Following on Nikki Petroni’s (doctoral student currently researching Maltese modern and contemporary art under the hegemonic cultural control of the Catholic Church in the 20th and 21st centuries) article regarding the theme of the ISOFestival, published in The Malta Independent on Sunday of 27 March, a wealth of foci emerged. These articles are a continuation of the Department of Art and Art History’s aim to continually develop, hone and expand on the queries of modern and contemporary art’s nuances, led by Dr Giuseppe Schembri Bonaci, author of numerous publications on this subject, notably ‘Shostakovich, Britten, Stravinsky and the Painters in Between: 1936’, 2014. The theme/title for this years’ International Spring Orchestra Festival (ISOFestival) is incredibly exciting ‘The Revolution and its Composers’. Having an art historical background myself, this theme was covered intensely by a variety of scholars, both foreign and local. This period was a symbolic reply to the ‘language of rupture’ (Marjorie Perloff, 1986) that had gripped Europe since the interwar period. What do you classify as the ‘revolution’ stated in the title? How did these composers synthesize and contribute to your terminology of ‘the revolution’?
This year’s edition of my festival is incredibly exciting indeed! Year-in yearout I get that sort of gut feeling to push the boundaries of what I can programme, be more adventurous, more ambitious. I enjoy myself most planning the programme and choosing the musicians. I give a lot of thought to weaving all the elements together to build a coherent and consistent musical journey. Programmes ought to have a theme, around which all these aspects can revolve – last year’s, for example was from Zappa to Beethoven. In the first decade, I did not put much effort to explain this clear; I came to regret that because most didn’t actually get that there was an underlying theme holding the programme together, and that the festival was not merely a string of back-to-back performances. In addition, I thought of a visual aid that might illustrate, at least partially, the choice of programme. From Zappa to Beethoven had Klimt’s Beethoven’s Frieze (of 1902 – Suffering Humanity) as visual backdrop for posters, flyers and programme booklet. Klimt’s Beethoven Frieze is based on Beethoven’s 9th symphony which was the last piece on the programme, performed during the Malta 2017 EU Presidency concert. I also paired it with a short work of mine If based on Rudyard Kipling’s poem of the same name. Not many got that hint either. However, it proved to have left an effect. Therefore, while I was busily working on last year’s final details, I was in parallel determining the programme for this year’s edition. At first, I was thinking about dissidents, non-conformists, but any great artist might easily be characterized as such, and most of them – if not all – were to some extent “agitators”, metaphorically – at times literally – speaking. I found the term “Revolution” more apt because the composer line-up for this year whose works are programmed are extremely revolutionary in nature and were written in dire times, Honegger Symphony no.2 when Paris was occupied by the Nazis, Bartok’s works also written in the same period just before he fled Hungary to the States. In more culturally fertile pastures, these works are now classical repertoire; in Malta, the programme will possibly be a slap in the face of the prudent conservative concertgoer.
Looking at the repertoire of composers chosen to be showcased this year, we have Chopin a 19th century artist, along with giants of the 20th century Bartok, Shostakovich, Lutosiawski and Stravinsky. What is the significance of this choice, and is there a reason for the inclusion of Chopin in this group of 20th century artists?
There are mainly two contradictory reasons while Chopin figures in the equation. Although there’s a range of his music which easily pictures well brought up girls – the ones who play the piano and dress themselves in puritan attires – most of Chopin’s music reflects a tormented twisted but highly sensitive soul. The nature of the Preludes op. 28, in the seasoned hands of a master such as Joaquín Achúcarro’s, will become known as very revolutionary works considering the time they were composed. Chopin’s harmonic palette in the first part of the 19th century was quite shocking and left a deep impact on his contemporaries such as Liszt and Schumann. Liszt borrowed heavily from his French-Polish counterpart and explored the realms of his harmony that soared to unheard of heights. I was very tempted to include Debussy alongside the composers in the title, since he will also figure prominently throughout all the piano recitals as we are celebrating the hundredth anniversary of his demise this year, and who revolutionized century musical thinking in a similar way Cezanne had done in painting.
What were the reasons for the creation of this year’s theme? Are there any criteria you make use of in the formation of the next ISO’s theme?
Some may not have the slightest clue the 1968 movement has taken place, let alone what it was all about. The protests of 1968 was an escalation of social conflicts against the establishment, caused by authoritarianism, capitalism, imperialism, racism, revisionism and sexism whose goals were to have a society freed from these repressions, for society to have civil and political rights, feminism and liberalization. This year marks the 50th year of this movement, which resulted in unparalleled social revolutions. This did not only happen in the West but also in socialist countries where protests against lack of freedom of speech and violation of other civil rights also took place such as the Czech Spring in Prague as well as protests in Poland and ex-Yugoslavia. Does this fit this year’s choice of programme? It does, especially at this moment in time in a close-knit society like Malta’s that has suddenly found itself catapulted from a patriarchal feudal thinking of the Middle Ages to 21st century blingbling– without the philosophers in the in-between periods.
As for next year’s edition, I’ve already set my mind on the programme, and yes, there is a theme, however I’m keeping my mouth shut.
Continuing on the theme, the chosen painting for the poster is by Polish-born Cubist artist Louis Marcos’s, who formed part of the Section d’Or. Looking at previous editions of this festival’s poster, the use of paintings, significant to the period, is predominant. What is the significance of this painting to your festival, and to the general theme? Are the paintings chosen based on just aesthetics or are there other meanings to it?
I particularly cherish the work of the Section d’Or group, known as well as Le Grouped de Puteaux. It was a moment in time I would have loved to be in Paris 1914-18. Originally, I had Picasso’s Three Musicians as this year’s festival poster but it is still in copyright and beyond my festival’s means to obtain the rights. Not that I didn’t try. However, Louis Marcoussis also known as Louis Casimir was actually, at the end of the day, a more suitable choice as it reflects the spirit of the programme. Picasso’s Three Musicians would have been perfect for the trio version of Stravinsky’s Histoire du Soldat (1918 – and it’s no coincidence either!) which is to be performed on Thursday 12 April at the Malta Society of Arts (Palazzo De La Salle), but that’s only one piece. Casimir’s Musician encompasses the whole spectrum of the programme. It instils in me a sense of hopelessness possibly because it was painted at the outbreak of the First World War, in the same way the programme does. Shostakovich’s 14th Symphony for the festival opener, Bartok’s 2 piano and percussion sonata on Monday 9 April, Bartok’s String quartets no. 2 and no. 6 and Stravinsky’s Trois Pièces for string quartet concert on Friday 13 April and Lutoslawski’s Musique Funèbre for the closing concert on Saturday 14 April are not works likely to suggest jubilation. They are terribly profound and painfully beautiful.
I choose paintings based on the aesthetics of the programme as well as for their many meanings conveyed to me – most should be best left hidden.
The venues selected are all in Valletta. Would you ever consider moving the festival out of the capital city to another location?
In past editions I had programmed a few concerts outside Valletta, such as the President’s Residential Palace, in Gozo, at Mater Dei Hospital and once even venturing an ad hoc concert at the Tigné shopping mall. However, most of the concerts need to be in Valletta, and the Manoel Theatre. I would consider moving the whole festival if there would ever be in Malta truly a venue for concerts elsewhere. By truly I mean the likes of the acoustics of the Musikverein in Vienna, the Berlin Konzerthaus or other European concert venues where classical music can be really best enjoyed in the most ideal of conditions and where opera can be performed. It’s impossible to stage Wagner, Mozart, or Strauss (by Strauss I definitely mean Richard) in the same way I’ve seen them staged and performed at the Opera Garnier or Bastille (Paris) or the Vienna Staatoper to mention but a few. Many attempts were made, and I am sure that there are some still ongoing but I am highly dubious of these ever materialising. Malta is more than happy to boast about its “newly found” theatres which were previously referred to as Swali tal-kappilan than to invest in a new space. Anyone in his right mind knows that these so-called “theatres” are more suitable for coffee mornings and the occasional musical matinée of sorts. Anything, which is staged in Malta, for its intents and purposes, strives to be “professional” and with a professional attitude (hmm hmm) but the result remains amateurish because it’s limited in terms of space, acoustics and material. To give a simple example, I have been obliged to hire a Celesta for Shostakovich’s 14th Symphony from Italy, simply because there’s no Celesta in Malta. This is probably going to be a historical event because for the first time in the history of Malta, people in the Manoel Theatre will listen to a real Celesta and not some badly synthesized sound. This is only one example. The list is extensive. Tenksgod we’ve got Twistees, Cisk and Kinnie.
Perhaps one of the highlights of this years’ festival is Joaquin Achucarro. What is the significance of having such artist in Malta? Do you think his presence in Malta will create a ripple effect and instigate a higher level of culture appreciation?
Each year I strive to have artists of the highest calibre on the concert platform of my festival. This is generally proportional to the subsidy received by the festival. It is not the first time Achúcarro will be performing in Malta. He was once invited a few years ago by the then artistic directors of the Three Palaces Festival, Lucia Micallef, Cynthia Turner and Albert Storace. Lucia had personally invited him having listened to numerous concerts of his and knows what’s around out there so she made the necessary introductions.
As to your other question, it reminded me of one of the late Charles Camilleri’s anecdotes when I was a student of his. As the story goes, the great Yehudi Menuhin happened to be in Malta to give a concert. It was one of those stifling Maltese summery nights. Because of the humid heat, Menuhin wanted to perform in more relaxed attire. However, some organiser told him “You won’t play unless you put a jacket on”. After the concert, Menuhin was heard saying he would never set foot in Malta again. He was a man of his word. Such occurrences are, funnily (I mean this as sad) enough, still a recurrent curse today, in the least places one ought to expect them from, which reminds me of a possibly long forgotten popular saying Bdilna l-gvern u bdilna l-kanen imma xorta bqajna tal-qamel.
Yet, paradoxically the arts have never enjoyed so much funding and support as the current times. Surely this might partially be because Valletta is today one of the two European Cultural Capitals. However, I think that mostly it’s because, luckily, a small breed of enlightened people believe that Art is the true legacy of a people.
This being the twelfth edition of an on-going success story, what is the future for this festival?
When I started working on the first edition of the ISOFestival more than 12 years ago, I had never anticipated it would have soared to such heights. I wasn’t even sure that I would manage to pull off one festival let alone 12. Things started to pick up after the 2009 edition and it continued to grow from strength to strength, especially considering that I was organising everything single-handedly. After the tenth edition in 2016, I understood this could not be the case any longer. In order for the festival to grow in the right direction it needed to have a more solidified structure, to professionalise, to have a team of like-minded people whose input would make things work smoother and lessen the stress burden off my shoulders so that I could solely concentrate on the artistic programme. The ISOFestival has a lot of potential. I’m not being very objective, being its founder, but I know where I want to take it. I am not in a hurry and I’ve learnt to be more patient. However, I’m sure of one thing; the benchmark should increase from year to year. I do not intend to give the crowd what it wishes. The festival will never be mainstream. There’s the concert season for that. What I am mostly interested in is to bring the repertoire that has been performed throughout the European continent but which has never been performed in Malta until now.
In the past three editions you have worked closely with the MPO but this year they do not figure in your programme. It is no secret that you are a close friend of Brian Schembri and that you’ve collaborated on numerous occasions in Malta and abroad. Has Brian Schembri’s sacking as Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the MPO anything to do with not opting to work with the MPO this year?
The fact that the MPO are not on the programme this year was purely coincidental. When I sent in my dates, the MPO management informed me that the orchestra had been booked for a concert at the beginning of the ISOFestival and the following day after the closing concert, making it impossible to have another programme in the same week. I would gladly extend our collaboration for future editions of the festival; however, I was rather surprised to learn a few weeks ago that the MPO won the People’s Choice for Beethoven’s Symphony no.9 the Arts Council Award without the slightest mention about the ISOFestival that was co-producing it with Brian Schembri as conductor…
Like many fellow musicians, I was livid to learn that Brian Schembri was no longer the Artistic Director of the MPO, and publicly vented my disgust. Brian has been a great supporter of my music and my festival. It was only too clear for me that I had to do my utmost to secure a concert for Brian during this year’s edition of the ISOFestival. This manifested itself with the Valletta 2018 Foundation that expressed its wish to collaborate in the opening concert of this year’s edition.
Tickets can be purchased from www.teatrumanoel.com.mt. For more information on the festival, visit www.iso-festival.com. All concerts are free for children.