While acknowledging APS Bank as one of the promoters of Maltese composers through their own series of concerts referred to by Mr Joe Vella Bondin (The Sunday Times, February 11), their sponsoring of a revival of Vassallo's Grande Messa for soloists, choir and orchestra bears no comparison to the exposure and prominence given to Paolino Vassallo's legacy by the National Orchestra of Malta. 

The CD recently released by the National Orchestra under its own "Live" label (printed in the UK) represents a cross section of Vassallo's general output rather than conveying the idea that he was only a composer of sacred works. The CD features Paolino Vassallo's Andante per violino ed orchestra, the overture Malta, Intermezzo to Act III from Frazir, Les Astres (Valses de Concert), Marcia Religiosa e Grande Fuga, Andante for Strings and Scherzo, Andante e Finale per orchestra, which shows the diversity of this important composer.

The CD, sponsored by GasanMamo Insurance Ltd, is of high digital quality. It comes with a 12-page booklet containing much useful and well-researched information on the composer and on the featured works by Christopher Muscat and Emy Scicluna. Requests for the CD through the National Orchestra's Website are being received from editors of international music magazines to bring this new release of Maltese music to the attention of their readers .

It is pertinent to point out that the National Orchestra was the driving force behind the 8c stamp issued by Maltapost plc. It was also responsible for an exhibition, the first of such activities, held at the Manoel Theatre's Sala Isouard where original scores, contracts, handbills, photos as well as the composer's own violin were on show. The interesting exhibition was held during the period when the National Orchestra, under the baton of Christopher Muscat, performed various works by Paolino Vassallo at the Manoel Theatre, now released on the CD.

The National Orchestra board strongly feels that restricting performances of such works for local consumption is not enough. It is important to promote Vassallo and other Maltese composers, beyond Maltese shores to make their works known to other more important music centres and to a wider public.

Thanks to the initiative of the National Orchestra, the name of Paolino Vassallo has now been included in important Websites like www.requiemsurvey.org/composers.php?id=1852.

For the performance of Vassallo's Requiem, the National Orchestra took the initiative and invited members of the Coro Sinfonico di Milano, La Verdi, to participate in the performance at St John's Co-Cathedral last November. For the record, their official Website (www.laverdi.org/italian/coro_biografica.php?iExpand1=27) also includes the following: "Nel novembre 2006 il Coro Verdi è stato invitato a Malta dall'Orchestra Nazionale per eseguire la Messa da Requiem di Paolino Vassallo, in una prima esecuzione integrale, diretti da Muscat nella Cattedrale di San Giovanni, La Valletta."

The Messa da Requiem, made known to the Italian choir thanks to the National Orchestra, has aroused great interest among the members of the Italian choir and the Direzione Musicale in Milano.

Another composition by Paolino Vassallo, the Grande Fuga per Orchestra, was also performed in Pesaro on January 25 under the baton of Michael Laus, when the joint concert organised by the National Orchestra and the Orchestra Sinfonica di Pesaro was held at the Teatro Rossini in Pesaro bringing once again another work by the Maltese composer to the notice of a foreign audience.