Valletta International Baroque Festival

One of two European Capitals of Culture in 2018, Valletta has for several years offered a magnificent annual festival celebrating some of the finest Baroque music in the world. Our festival tour will encompass not only performances by world-class musicians, but we will also gain an insight into the vibrant history of a country with foundations stretching back to some of the world’s oldest civilisations.

2019 is a particularly special year for ACE to return to Valletta, as our Tour Director Ashley Solomon will himself be performing a festival concert of Bach sonatas for flute and harpsichord, accompanied by one of the world’s leading historical keyboard specialists, Terence Charlston.

Later we will become immersed in the distinctive sound of Ensemble Zefiro, who bring us works by Bach, Telemann and Fasch. In a suitable climax to our stay, Baroque orchestra Divino Sospiro – founded in Portugal and widely celebrated for its nuanced interpretation of early music – will present us with a masterful oratorio by Caldara: Maddalena Ai Piedi di Cristo. Written around 1700, the work fashions a window into the struggles of Mary Magdalene kneeling at the feet of Jesus, and has been described by Gramophone as “dramatically tense” and “wonderfully rich in fresh and attractive invention”.

Alongside the music, the ancient history of Valletta is investigated in the prehistoric temples and walled city of Victoria on the island of Gozo, while the island’s Roman heritage is presented in Rabat’s Domus Romana Museum. Towards the end of our tour we make a visit to the Casa Rocca Piccola; built in 1580, this resplendent palace is home to one of the most beautiful private collections of Maltese lace in the city.

We will stay throughout in Valletta’s five-star Grand Hotel Excelsior, which boasts magnificent views over Marsamxett harbour.

Please note that while we will endeavour to deliver the below itinerary in full, the festival’s musical programme may be subject to change.

This tour will be led by Ashley Solomon, HonRCM, ARAM, Chair and Head of Historical Performance at London’s Royal College of Music and Director of the Baroque ensemble Florilegium. In 2008, as a result of his work editing and performing music from the Mission Churches of Chiquitos and Moxos Indians in Bolivia, Ashley was the first European to be awarded the coveted Hans Roth Prize.

Ashley writes: “I am delighted to be returning to Valletta in January 2019 for another feast of baroque music, in some exceptional venues including the wonderful Manoel Theatre from the 1730s. We will enjoy music by great masters and inspiring Italian and French composers from the 17th and 18th centuries. This year I am particularly excited to be making my debut in the festival, during our tour, in a lunchtime performance of Bach sonatas for flute and harpsichord with Terence Charlston, and I do hope you will join me for this unique experience.”