Malta link in Bocelli's Taormina concert

In the wake of the recent Riccardo Muti concert, its organisers, Renaissance Productions Ltd, are involved in the Taormina performance of the world-famous tenor Andrea Bocelli (picture) described as "Pavarotti's heir", on August 14.

The company was approached by and is supporting Asset Group Italia, organisers of the Bocelli concert, who aim to attract a few hundred Maltese to the one-off event.

It is rare for Mr Bocelli to perform in Taormina and his concert is expected to attract audiences from the south of Italy, as well as Malta, apart from all over Sicily, the organisers said.

The Taormina venue is the closest he could ever come to performing in Malta, said RPL. He is one of the costliest stars of the moment and his "prohibitive" price means it does not make commercial sense to bring him here.

Mr Bocelli's Duetti d'Amore concert is kicking off his world tour. He will perform with sopranos Raffaella Angeletti, Désirée Rancatore, Annamaria dell'Oste and Patrizia Orciani, under the baton of musical director Steven Mercurio conducting the Orchestra Teatro Vittorio Emanuele di Messina.

The international star, who is blind, was discovered by Pavarotti and appeals not only to opera lovers but also to followers of pop music.

RPL was asked to support the Taormina event, based on its credentials earned from the Muti concert, of which the Bocelli involvement is an offshoot.

Promoting a concert in Sicily is an experiment for RPL, its directors, Anton Tabone and Amabile Zammit, said. But it has all the ingredients for success: Mr Bocelli's name is enough, and the event is also being held in the evocative Teatro Antico, which has a capacity for 4,500 people and is considered to be a "spectacle" in itself. Added to that, Taormina needs no introduction and the proximity and prestige that come with it are added bonuses. RPL intends to strengthen its collaboration and establish a long-term relationship with Asset Group, which has recognised Malta's potential for major events of the sort.

The Bocelli event could lead to the twinning of others between the two Mediterranean islands, they said. Both companies aim at "excellence" in their events, which are intended to be "big". In fact, RPL is launching another major event for next year in a couple of weeks' time.

Asset Group, which has been operating for some 23 years and has been involved in the organisation of a variety of top-notch cultural and sporting events, has based a representative, Margaret Amarù, in Malta to handle the marketing of the concert until it is held.

She maintained that Mr Bocelli would attract the same audience that the Muti concert had.

Asset Group has just organised the singer's Madame Butterfly concert in Montecarlo, as well as the Ice Gala in Taormina, whereby it created an ice rink in the Teatro Antico and brought over top skaters and Italian singers to perform on it.

The Malta Tourism Authority is supporting the event and Malta is to be promoted in Taormina through billboards and in the programme on the night. The idea is for Malta to gain mileage from the event, RPL said.

They said people were planning to go to Sicily on private yachts and make a holiday out of the event on the neighbouring island. Interested persons could make their own travel arrangements. But Britannia travel agency has also arranged packages in both Taormina and Catania - starting from Lm119, excluding taxes, for flight, two nights' accommodation in Catania, (Saturday to Monday) transfers and transport to the concert and back.

Tickets cost Lm35, Lm95 and Lm280 per couple for VIP treatment and dinner with Mr Bocelli afterwards. Information on the event and tickets is available on hotline 9900 8522, or via e-mail address info@rplmalta.com