Joanne Camilleri is performing the famous Hammerklavier sonata by Ludwig van Beethoven on the piano to launch the Manoel Theatre’s 2024/25 season programme on Tuesday, October 1, at 8pm.

The night of classical music will actually feature two of Beethoven’s sonatas.

Piano Sonata in E minor, Op. 90 was written in the summer of 1814 and was dedicated to Prince Moritz von Lichnowsky, a friend and benefactor of the composer. It is a charming piece of musical banter, with the first movement being full of passionate and lonely energy, while the following movement is devoted to a luxuriant lyrical melody which, unofficially, Beethoven referred to as a “happy conversation with the beloved”.

Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 29 in B-flat major, Op. 106 (more commonly known as the Hammerklavier) is the second and major piece of the evening. It is widely viewed as one of the most important works of the German composer’s later period, and it is also recognised as being among the greatest piano sonatas of all time. Completed in 1818, it is considered one of Beethoven’s most technically challenging piano compositions and one of the most demanding solo works in the classical piano repertoire.

The first documented public performance of the Hammerklavier was in 1836 by Franz Liszt. The sonata is massive in both its technical challenges and emotional capacity, opening with an explosively heroic first movement, followed by a capricious scherzo, then a central, profoundly lyrical and introspective adagio, and concluding with a dazzling and massively intricate fugal finale, full of intellectual vigour.

A rising star in the world of classical music, Camilleri is loved by her audiences for her passion and sensitivity in performance. She regularly performs a wide-ranging repertoire both in Malta and around Europe. She has been invited to perform at prestigious functions including at the President’s Palace in Malta and at the German and American ambassadors’ residencies. She has performed alongside other prominent international musicians, including British pianist Ann Rachlin for a Mozart night at the Manoel, when Camilleri was just 13 years old.

Following this concert, the Manoel’s 2024/25 season carries on with a wide variety of events, ranging from more classical music to musical theatre, Greek tragedies to Christmas pantomimes, among others.

For more information on the new season’s programme of events and to book tickets, visit teatrumanoel.mt or call the box office on (+356) 2124 6389.