A melodic show highlighting this famous Maltese composer awaits you this December
Attention classical music lovers, this one’s for you! This December, Festivals Malta presents ABOS: Opera Highlights, a concert dedicated solely to one of Malta’s most prolific composers of his time: Girolamo Abos.
On 7th December at 7.30pm, the stunning Inquisitor’s Palace in Birgu will open its doors to host this one-night only event featuring some incredible artists for the evening. These include 'Les Bougies Baroques', a period instrument ensemble directed by the London-based Maltese founder and harpsichordist Ian Peter Bugeja. The soloists accompanying the ensemble are soprano Nicola Said, mezzo-soprano Clare Ghigo and countertenor Cenk Karaferya.
The man of the hour
For those of you who are unfamiliar with Abos and his works, here’s everything you need to know ahead of the concert: Girolamo Abos was born in Valletta in 1715 to a French father and a Maltese mother. He had a natural born talent, showing musical promise at a very young age, and ventured to Naples to further his music studies.
Abos had a successful career, even receiving commissions to write operas which were eventually sung by the finest singers of the time within Italy’s main opera houses and beyond, including places like London and Vienna. Abos unfortunately never returned to his homeland and passed away in 1760 at the young age of 45.
A forgotten treasure
Abos’ works were sadly forgotten for many years after his demise, but thanks to local and foreign musicologists, they were rediscovered in the Mdina Cathedral music archives. They were edited and performed in various revival concerts of music by Abos and other Maltese composers of the Baroque period and later.
For December's concert though, Ian Peter Bugeja wanted to do something different, feeling that it is about time that a performance consisting entirely of opera arias by Abos should take place. Previously, they had only sporadically surfaced as part of a number of works by different composers, so this is the very first concert completely dedicated to this great musician.
The programme for the evening
The magical evening will include compositions that have been especially reconstructed for the occasion from Abos’ manuscripts. These include the Overture to Pelopide (1747) and the Sinfonia in G Major (c. 1750-1760). Between these two, there will be excerpts from operas such as Artaserse, two from Tito Manlio and one from Pelopide. The last vocal excerpts will include pieces from Arianna e Teseo, Alessandro nell’Indie and Lucio Vero. Such compositions will be performed together for the very first time since their inception in the 18th century.
Alexander Vann
Intriguing, right? Tickets for ABOS: Opera Highlights are available from www.kultura.mt. For more information visit Festivals Malta’s website.