manoeltheatre – Mark Bartolo

13/03/202127/03/2022

A Breath of Fresh Air!

It’s been nearly a year since I’ve written my last post. The arts were hit big time! I consider myself lucky and grateful to have been able to do a couple of performances during these last few months…

Last October, after a long seven-month hiatus, together with KorMalta I’ve sung in United We Stand: from the Renaissance to today, a concert at the Greek open-air theatre at MCAST, Mosta.

In January I was part of another concert with KorMalta, Baroque Female Composers, this time as part of the Valletta Baroque Festival, in which VIBE were the musical ensemble. We performed Salmi Concertati a 4 Voci, a piece by the female composer Isabella Leonarda written in 1698.

20/04/202024/01/2021

When is the next performance?

This year started out quite busy with two performances in January; Durante’s Requiem with The Monteverdi Project and Biber’s Requiem with KorMalta.

In March I was then part of the chorus in Rossini’s Requiem, directed by Vivien Hewitt. This was held at the Manoel Theatre and came out to be the last performance just before a number of health restrictions came into place due to COVID-19.

When is the next performance? Who knows … in the mean time, here is clip from last December’s concert, A Night of Madrigal & Early Baroque Music with The Monteverdi Project.

07/04/201908/04/2019

Winter to Spring

I’ve started the year singing a selection of pieces from Monteverdi’s Missa in Illo Tempore SV205 together with The Monteverdi Project and Cantar Lontano, under the direction of Mro. Marco Mencoboni. This concert was held at the Parish Church of the Assumption in Qrendi and was part of the Valletta International Baroque Festival 2019.

In March I was part of the chorus in Così Fan Tutte, directed by Jack Furness. We concluded the Mozart/Da Ponte trilogy at the Manoel Theatre, after Le Nozze Di Figaro in 2017 and Don Giovanni last year.

In the same month, together with The Monteverdi Project, we held a live-streamed concert at St. Gregory’s Church in Żejtun celebrating the European Day of Early Music.

My next project is with KorMalta, and we shall be singing the opening number in the Malta Arts Awards ceremony to be held at the Manoel Theatre.

16/08/201801/10/2019

Spring to Summer

It’s been some time since I’ve posted here … have been kept quite busy this year! Soon after Don Giovanni, I sang with the A Cappella Choir in La Divina Commedia, where we sang two a cappella pieces; Eric Whitacre’s Lux Arumque and Ola Gjeilo’s O Magnum Mysterium. This was part of a concert directed by Michelle Castelletti and held at the Robert Samut Hall in Floriana.

In April I then joined the pit-singers for Mamma Mia!, an FM Theatre production. We were under the music direction of Kris Spiteri with the musical being held at the MCC in Valletta.

(1) La Divina Commedia (2) Mamma Mia! (3) Aħna Refuġjati (4) Musical Adventures in Seconda Prattica

Continue reading “Spring to Summer”

19/04/201812/05/2019

Don Giovanni

In the first week of March I was part of the chorus for the opera Don Giovanni, with music by Mozart and libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. This is the second of a trilogy written by the latter two. Like last year, the opera was directed by Jack Furness, with Mro. Philip Walsh conducting the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra. Don Giovanni was held over four nights at the prestigious Manoel Theatre in Valletta. This was my fifth opera, with the last one being Patience, in which I interpreted the role of Major Murgatroyd.