Joseph Calleja vs Chick Corea: two stars, one evening, two neighbouring locations
As double bookings go, this one takes the proverbial biscuit, or possibly the whole tin. On the one hand, there is world famous Maltese tenor Joseph Calleja sharing a stage on Malta’s largest square in Floriana with Italian pop mega-star Eros Ramazzotti. On the other, in a smaller albeit equally spectacular setting just a few minutes walk away by the water’s edge in Grand Harbour, jazz legend Chick Corea will take to the stage on the final night of the Malta Jazz Festival. Both happening this Saturday 21st July. Love music? You’re in for a beautiful dilemma.
“Why do we have to make a choice between heaven and bliss?” wailed one Twitter user back in February when the clash of music legends was revealed.
Joseph Calleja himself was quick to respond, echoing all our sentiments: “It sucks. Really does - I am mortified that his concert clashes with mine.”
With a busy calendar of events throughout summer, especially in July, it is unsurprising that some clashes might occur. As we have yet to master the art of being in two places at the same time, you may be forced to choose which music genre to follow that evening. Or will you?
Can you do both? Let's see...
Let’s start with the Joseph Calleja/Eros Ramazzotti concert. It starts at 8:30pm on the Granaries in Floriana, just outside the capital Valletta, and is expected to end between 11:30pm and midnight. While there are seated ticketed places, you can opt to simply turn up and watch the concert for free in the standing area.
This annual concert by Malta's homegrown international opera star is close to the tenor's heart. "The concert in Malta always marks the end of my season and it really is the most important concert I do in front of my home crowd," Joseph told us. "This year we have Eros who needs no introduction. As ever, the concert is a platform for budding Maltese talent and I am thrilled that Emma Muscat is joining us, together with Sarah Naudi. The latter is gathering some quite wonderful notices on London's West End and of course we have some other surprises in store for our wonderful audience." We can't wait!
The concert is expected to attract a crowd of between 15,000 and 20,000 (Joseph is well loved in Malta) so as you can imagine, getting to Valletta/Floriana that evening will be somewhat of a challenge. But there are options.
Plan ahead: head over to the city a couple of hours in advance, well before everyone else starts thinking about it, and enjoy an early dinner before making your way to the concert venue.
Public transport: buses do run till late but there will be no extra routes added after the concert, so while it may be easy to get to Floriana by bus, it might be trickier to return home afterwards. Skip the mad dash for the last bus and pre-book a taxi.
By sea: if you are staying in the Sliema/St Julian's area, take the ferry from Sliema to Valletta. Remember to wear comfy shoes as you’ll have a (mercifully short) uphill walk from Marsamxett Harbour to the city centre. Allow just under 10 minutes for the ferry crossing and a leisurely 25 minutes to reach the concert venue. The last ferry back from Valletta to Sliema departs at 12:45am.
The Jazz Festival takes place at Ta’Liesse, a stretch of the Valletta waterfront down by Grand Harbour. As venues go, this one cannot be more picturesque. The festival is one of Europe’s most important summer jazz events and has been hosting some of the biggest icons of the genre for the past 27 years.
The final night on 21st July starts at 8pm, starring the legendary Chick Corea who will be performing with his longtime “brothers-in-music” John Patitucci and Dave Weckle. This will be the Chick Corea Akoustic Band’s first tour in over 20 years. Joao Bosco is expected to take to the stage at 9:45pm.
How to get there: you’ll be using the same transport options to get to the festival as all those heading for the Joseph Calleja concert. I'd definitely recommend getting there early and enjoying a sunset dinner at Harbour Club, just metres away from the festival venue. If arriving by ferry from Sliema, allow a good 30 minutes to walk from Marsamxett harbour across Valletta. Go to Upper Barrakka Gardens and (after a quick photo of that gorgeous view) take the lift down to the waterfront (cost: €1). A further five minutes walk brings you to the festival area. The lift closes at midnight so you’ll need to factor in a longer walk back uphill through Valletta if you’re aiming to catch that last ferry back to Sliema. You can buy tickets at the door, but it is recommended to get them in advance here.
NnG Promotions
Watch both: if you are a dedicated, die hard music fan you could, potentially, catch a bit of both concerts, but you WILLhave to make some compromises. Comfy shoes will be a must here, as you’ll need to run from the waterfront uphill to the Granaries. Allow a sweaty 20 minutes to reach the concert from Ta’ Liesse. You could potentially watch Chick Corea perform, and then run up to watch the final part of Joseph Calleja’s concert.
Miss both: not a music lover? Skip all of that and head to the magical Hastings Garden in Valletta for the Marsovin Summer Wine Festival where you can chill with a glass of a locally produced vintage. But remember, you will get caught in the same traffic congestion heading to the concerts and back so plan ahead or, in this case, get there late, when both events are already underway and the crowds are in their seats.
Whatever you decide to do, enjoy your weekend!