The De Valette Chamber Orchestra opens its 2026/27 season, as well as Teatru Manoel’s, with a programme placing the rich and expressive sound of string music centre stage. French cellist Victor Julien-Laferrière joins the orchestra for Joseph Haydn’s Cello Concerto No. 1 in C major, Hob. VIIb:1, bringing his acclaimed musicianship to a work celebrated for its elegance, warmth, and virtuosity.

The programme then moves from Haydn’s poise and lightness into the darker emotional world of Franz Schubert’s String Quartet No. 14 in D minor, D.810 “Death and the Maiden”, presented in Gustav Mahler’s arrangement for string orchestra. Combining moments of tenderness with striking dramatic intensity, the work provides a powerful contrast and a fitting conclusion to an evening marking the beginning of a new musical season.

Guests are invited to embrace the occasion in black tie or evening wear.