Music, maestros and Malta 1990

Abstract

The year 1990 was a one vibrating with musical activity drawing on local and international sources for its materialisation. Of course this does not really come as a surprise since the role that music plays in our island, especially when one considers its size, is indeed a major one. The sheer number of musical performances is impressive, with sometimes two 'events' billed for the same evening resulting in a dilemma of preference. Variety was certainly not lacking for there was something to suit everybody's taste. Several musical categories were represented, with some unavoidably taking prominence over others, even if one judges their success only in the light of the size of the audience. Opera ranks high on the list of favourites, a popularity enjoyed likewise by ballet and choral performances, with violin concertos, piano, vocal and organ recitals and orchestal concerts following closely at their heels. [excerpt]