The Malta Independent on Sunday
Four of Europe’s most prestigious venues await the MPO
Grandeur awaits, as the MPO soon sets off to perform in some of Europe’s most prestigious concert venues. This will be the third international tour during the Concert Season 21/22, after the orchestra visited Dubai in September 2021 and February 2022 respectively.
The four stunning halls; Berliner Philharmonie in Berlin, Smetana Hall in Prague, Bratislava’s Reduta and the Wiener Musikverein in Vienna will host the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO) as well as award-winning violinist Stella Chen, led by MPO Principal Conductor Sergey Smbatyan.
Celebrated for her “profound maturity, fresh and spontaneous performance” Chen, winner of the 2019 Queen Elisabeth Competition, joins the MPO to perform Mendelssohn’s most beloved Violin Concerto, as well as Alexey Shor’s Phantasms.
In the historic concert halls, with the oldest dating back to 1773, the orchestra takes prominence, showcasing a vast repertoire to international audiences. The programme features excerpts from the prolific 20th Century Armenian composer Aram Khachaturian’s Spartacus Ballet Suites. Also performing Intermezzo from Il-Wegħda - the first opera with a Maltese libretto by one of the island’s most eminent composers, Charles Camilleri, the orchestra keeps its role of acting as a cultural ambassador for the country.
The tour maintains the MPO’s momentum in internationalisation and going hybrid, with live performances now picking up pace and its Digital Transformation, having reached over 32M unique people across 46 countries, well into its second year.
The MPO European Tour 2022 is presented by the European Foundation for Support of Culture (EUFSC). More information may be found on www.maltaorchestra.com