Like most other cultural institutions on the island, the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra has felt the brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, this has not dampened its sprit and has instead spurred the orchestra to expand its repertoire. Executive chairman of the MPO Sigmund Mifsud speaks to Lara Zammit on how the national orchestra faced the pandemic and what plans it has for the future.
When COVID-19 struck the island in March 2020, its effect on local cultural institutions was devastating, not least on the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra which was deprived of its audience for the better part of last year.
“We had to stop all events and cancel everything we had planned till the end of the season,” Sigmund Mifsud, executive chairman of the MPO, said.
“We had a Mahler symphony planned which required the engagement of 30 musicians from overseas, but we needed to cancel everything.”
This unprecedented situation required the orchestra to look into other avenues to keep afloat, outside of their usual audience-based initiatives.
“We were very proactive during the pandemic,” Mifsud said.
“Our musicians were involved in making individual videos about their confinement at home. Then we started involving them in small groups – duos, trios or quartets and that’s as far as we could go – and later we started making video productions. One video that did quite well was the song Smile with Joseph Calleja and Daniel Cauchi,” he continued.
“During the summer, when we thought we had won the battle against COVID, we also had some concerts planned. These were always in line with restrictions issued by the authorities for both musicians and audiences.”
One such event was the APS Summer Festival organised in conjunction with the Valletta Cruise Port.
“The festival was a success as that way we had a festival in summer despite everything,” Mifsud noted.
“After summer, things became problematic again and we had to revise all our plans. We needed to see what we could do given the situation. The difference this time round was that we could start to meet as a full orchestra again.”
The situation spurred the need for diversification. One new direction for the orchestra was in the production of recorded material, including CDs.
“We collaborated with PARMA Recordings based in the US which have international distribution. We also organised video productions of concerts, some of which were shot at the MCC, the Hilton hotel and the President’s Palace.
Finally meeting as a full orchestra – which is something very important for us – we had two intensive months between October and November with an extended repertoire.”
We envisage that the scenario will change once and for all
Another new direction saw the MPO collaborate more with the film industry. Mifsud confirmed that the orchestra has contacted several foreign film producers proposing the orchestra’s services.
Recording at the Manoel Theatre during Impression, Malta – An Online Concert held in October.“We are seeing how we can diversify as the future will be different for the cultural sector. We are pushing to keep music alive as much as possible, but the situation will take a lot of time to return to how things were before the pandemic, he said.
“We envisage that the scenario will change once and for all. When things eventually settle, for us to have concerts for live audiences is very important, but we don’t think they will be of the same volume we had before the pandemic. I think the culture scene will change completely because the financial situation of people will change across the board.”
Speaking on how the new directions the orchestra has taken have influenced their outlook on the future, Mifsud said that the video productions undertaken during the pandemic opened new avenues for them.
“If before we used to have a maximum audience of 1,000 at the MCC or 500 at the Manoel Theatre, with digital media we had videos that reached an audience of 100,000 to 200,000 viewers. So that was something positive that came out of all this as well. Cultural institutions should keep on recognising the potential of digital media”.
Turning to how the orchestra prepares for recorded productions as opposed to events for local television, Mifsud iterated how once something goes online, content is shared with an international audience, “so the level has to be top notch”.
“It is different when you prepare things for local television and even the idea behind the two would be different,” he pointed out.
“The choice of music played depends on the platform. When catering for an international audience, you need to consider the musical identity of the country on display, and this needs to be produced to a very high standard. When catering for television, different sets of people watch television at different times according to statistics, so we need to be mindful of that audience when producing content there. As the only professional music institution of the country, we try to cater for all tastes and backgrounds.”
Mifsud also revealed that the orchestra has an educational programme in the works.
“We believe that one of our roles as an orchestra in this situation is to keep musical education alive.
“During these times, despite all the difficulties, we believe that music needs to be present more than ever in the lives of individuals. Just as people should strive to eat well and keep fit, tending to one’s mental health by listening to some classical music is very helpful in the present.”
As regards the orchestra’s programme of events for 2021, Mifsud said that at the moment, the intention is for the programme to be recorded.
“There are projects till June, but everything for now is planned without an audience; but the intention is to allow audiences to be present should the situation change.”
To stay up to date on the MPO’s 2021 programme and its other initiatives throughout the year, visit www.maltaorchestra.com.