At 92, the first conductor of what is now known as the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra, still remembers vividly the orchestra’s ‘humble’ beginnings 50 years ago.

The Manoel Theatre Orchestra was born in 1968, employing around 20 musicians and the conductor of the Royal Navy (Mediterranean) Commander-in-Chief’s (C-in-C) orchestra which had to disband because of the British Services rundown.

Joseph Sammut directing the Manoel Theatre Orchestra.

Bassoon player Joseph Sammut had joined the C-in-C orchestra at the age of 18, following in his father Vincenzo’s footsteps, who was a double bass player with the same orchestra and also played the bassoon with the Royal Opera House orchestra.

“We would play all kind of music at events the Commander-in-Chief hosted, such as dinner parties, cocktail parties, concerts and balls,” Mro Sammut told Times of Malta.

As its long-time conductor reached retirement age, the young man was invited to take up the post and despite some initial hesitation, he travelled to England to study conducting under the mentorship of the renowned Malcolm Sargent, who was then the conductor of the BBC orchestra, and Clarence Raybould.

“I didn’t want to take on all that responsibility at first, but I did well in my studies and on my return to Malta I became the orchestra’s conductor. I was only 26 but some soon started calling me ‘the Malcolm Sargent of Malta’,” he said proudly.

Mro Sammut also worked part-time with the British Council which would hold monthly symphonic concerts for which he would engage about 50 part-timers.

When in March 1968 he was informed that the C-in-C orchestra had to disband within less than a month, he panicked. He was particularly concerned about how he would inform his musicians that they would become redundant in less than a month’s time.

“They were all raising families, me included,” he said.

He especially contested the short notice, and after several negotiations with the authorities, it was decided that the orchestra would become the resident orchestra of the Manoel Theatre.

Mro Joseph Sammut conducting the C-in-C orchestra at the Phoenicia Hotel.

The transition was not an easy one and the orchestra faced some challenges: among others, it now had to devote itself to performing symphonic and operatic music and there were not enough elements to do so.

Mro Sammut thus relied on the part-timers he employed for the British Council concerts. The orchestra had to rehearse at all hours to accommodate these part-timers and rehearsal space was also a problem.

Whereas before the musicians used to practice at Admiralty House in South Street (which later housed the former National Museum of Fine Arts), they now had two small rooms on the very top floor of the Manoel. They had to split up between these spaces and Mro Sammut would stay at the door with an arm in each room.

Subsequently, they were given a place on Biago Steps, where humidity and noise were an issue – the area was just above the workshop of the Manoel Theatre’s carpenter.

But things improved over the years and the orchestra also grew in size.

“I was given the possibility to engage five full-time musicians a year and I made it a point to employ Maltese musicians,” Mro Sammut noted.

During the time he spent at its helm, the orchestra built up a healthy repertoire, including works never performed locally.

Mro Sammut’s career with the national orchestra came to an end in the early 1990s, when he was succeeded by Michael Laus.

In 1997, the orchestra became known as the National Orchestra of Malta and started performing abroad, including in Belgium, Italy and the Czech Republic.

The MPO during The Planets concert at the Mediterranean Conference Centre in Valletta in November 2017.

During the following 10 years, the orchestra expanded into a full-size symphony orchestra  and changed name yet again to become the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra.

Today, the MPO has its own rehearsal space, Robert Samut Hall in Floriana, and counts about 60 musicians. It plays different music genres, including popular and rock music. The Malta Youth Orchestra, the MPO Academy and the MPO Chorus, which accompanies the orchestra in choral concerts, were also founded.

“I came too early,” said Mro Sammut. “There are now so many possibilities.”

The conductor, who has had an illustrious career with and beyond the national orchestra and composed over 100 works, has followed the MPO over the years and thinks highly of its achievements.

However, he has one qualm: “Three-fourths of the orchestra is now made up of foreign musicians. It can hardly be called Maltese anymore and it’s a pity because we are not short of talent.”

The MPO is today performing at the Kimmel Centre for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia, the first concert in a three-stop tour of the US forming part of its 50th anniversary celebrations. It will then perform at the Strathmore Music Centre in Bethseda, Maryland, on Thursday and at Carnegie Hall in New York on Saturday. For more information and updates about the orchestra, log on to www.maltaorchestra.com or visit its Facebook page.

The MBO nowadays has its own rehearsal space, Robert Samut Hall in Floriana.

The Malta Philharmonic Orchestra performing in Stuttgart, Germany, last May.