Three Italian musicians, including the soprano Roberta Mameli, will close the Malta International Organ Festival at the Manoel Theatre on December 6.

The ninth edition of the Malta International Organ Festival, which took off on November 19, is coming to an end on December 6 with a closing concert titled Amore Sacro – Amore Profano.

Italian musicians Roberta Mameli (soprano), Luca Oberti (organ) and Noelia Reverte Reche (viola da gamba) will perform profane music that was written mainly for theatre stages. The theme of all the pieces revolves around love, lust and passion.

Luca Oberti

The Malta International Organ Festival usually comprises music fit for churches, but this concert will prove an exception.

The concert title Sacred Love and Profane Love derives from Titian’s oil painting of the same name, which can be seen in the Galleria Borghese in Rome.

This concert, apart from vocal music, also features some pieces for both viola da gamba and organ, and it is quite a rarity that the organ is being played on the stage of the Manoel Theatre in Valletta.

Mameli is known for her sharp vocal technique and charismatic stage presence, and for occupying major roles in international performances in some of the most important opera houses and music venues.

Titian's painting 'Sacred Love and Profane Love'

During the Malta International Organ Festival closing concert, Mameli will be singing 16th- and 17th-century songs written by Claudio Monteverdi and Henry Purcell, among other composers.

Organist Luca Oberti will also participate in the concert, having been described by the press as one of the finest talents in Europe.

Noelia Reverte Reche, another notable artist, will play the viola da gamba.

A students’ concert will be held on November 30 at St Helen’s basilica

There are a few other remaining concerts within the Malta International Organ Festival, apart from Amore Sacro – Amore Profano.

On November 29, Svetlana Vladimirovna will perform Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an exhibition on organs at St Paul’s Anglican Pro-Cathedral, Valletta.

Noelia Reverte Reche

This showpiece for virtuoso pianists is a suite of 10 piano pieces and is Mussorgsky’s most famous piano composition.

A students’ concert will be held on November 30 at St Helen’s basilica, Birkirkara, followed by The Spanish Golden Era and Beyond solo organ concert with Augusto Belau on the organ, on December 1, at St Mary’s parish church, Għaxaq.

Michael Mages (organ) and Semjon Kalinowsky (viola) will perform in A Journey Through Europe on December 2 at Sacro Cuor parish church, Sliema, where the organ has recently been restored by Robert Buhagiar.

A Christmas Prelude organ and trumpet concert with Franco Cefai and Jason Camilleri will be held on December 3 at St Mark’s church, Rabat.

The Malta International Organ Festival runs till December 6. Visit here for the full programme. Tickets can be bought from ticketline.com.mt and the Manoel Theatre booking office.