Graduation Ceremony 3
Graduand’s Address
Wednesday 21 November 2012 at 1630hrs
JESUITS’ CHURCH – VALLETTA
Rebecca Hall
D.Mus. graduand and representative of the students
While recognising the honour of addressing you on this occasion, I find myself turning to
those more eloquent than I to provide me with a suitable introduction. My inspiration
comes from one who, in his turn, served as muse to that pillar of nineteenth century
music, Richard Wagner. The following is a quote from Friedrich Nietzsche:
One must learn to love. This is what happens to us in music. First one has to learn to
hear a figure and melody at all, to detect and distinguish it, to isolate it and delimit it as
a separate life; then it requires some exertion and good will to tolerate it in spite of its
strangeness, to be patient with its appearance and expression, and kindhearted about its
oddity. Finally there comes a moment when we are used to it, when we wait for it, when
we sense that we should miss it if it were missing: and now it continues to compel and
enchant us relentlessly until we have become its humble and enraptured lovers who
desire nothing better from the world than it and only it.
But that is what happens to us not only in music: that is how we have learned to love all
things that we now love. In the end we are always rewarded for our good will, our
patience, fairmindedness and gentleness with what is strange; gradually, it sheds its veil
and turns out to be a new and indescribable beauty: that is its thanks for our hospitality.
Even those who love themselves will have learned it in this way, for there is no other way.
Love, too, has to be learned.
We, as graduates have spent countless hours in learning. Not just the technical aspects
of our craft – the shaping of a phrase, the building of a melody or the virtuosity of
technique. Education has taken all of us beyond that, to a point where what we learned
has grown from what we loved into a realm of knowledge, understanding and experience.
Through this process, we have been guided, cajoled and sometimes chastened by our
teachers. They toiled like Michelangelo, wielding their wisdom as he would have a
chisel, to “free the angel from the marble”. In doing so, they deserve our heart-felt
thanks.
For some of us, this graduation is the ne plus ultra of our academic training. For others,
a point from which we can grow and develop further. But for all who graduate today,
there is a real and pertinent question: “Where do we go from here?” As the first
graduates of the School of Performing Arts within the University of Malta, it would also
be fitting for us to ask, “Where does Malta go culturally from here?”
To say that Malta is on the threshold of great artistic and cultural development would be a
tardy comment. The growth towards Valletta as the Capital of Culture in 2018, for
example, or the stunning Valletta International Baroque Festival starting in the new
year, are not whims of the moment. Instead, they are the fruits of a slow, determined and
resolute vision.
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Two of the pioneers of this vision are no longer with us. Though they are physically
absent, their spirit in many ways still drives the cultural ambitions of this country. To
Mro Charles Camilleri and Fr Peter Serracino Inglott, Malta owes a collective debt and I
a personal one.
In 1995, I received a letter from Mro Michael Laus, inviting me to work with the then
Manoel Theatre Orchestra for the production of a new opera, “The Maltese Cross”, with
music by Camilleri and libretto by Fr Peter. It was this first work with the Manoel
Theatre Orchestra that facilitated my marriage and the two children struggling to keep on
their best behaviour in the audience this afternoon.
In many ways, the production of “The Maltese Cross” encapsulates much of what I have
come to realise about the development of Maltese culture and its relationship to the wider
international artistic community. In the foreword to the book written to accompany the
premiere, Fr Peter wrote “The Maltese Cross is intended as a tribute to La Valette on the
fifth century of his birth and as an expression of Malta’s part in the common culture of
Europe.” Assembled for the premiere in September of 1995 was a cast of Maltese and
international singers. With my Anglo–Irish Canadian roots, I marvelled as rehearsals
were conducted in five European languages: Maltese, English, Italian, French and
German, with equal fluency. The music itself incorporated elements of the greater
Mediterranean region and the libretto conjured images of a Malta as a Janus figure; one
face regarding its historical standing and the other confronting modern European trains of
thought.
The performance of “The Maltese Cross” was groundbreaking for the operatic genre in
Malta. In general, however, the artistic scene in 1995 was not as outward looking as it is
today. The decision to hire foreign orchestral musicians was a recent and contentious one.
To quote the libretto of “The Maltese Cross”, “Our nations can not yet come together,
because of their abject fear of change.” In Fr Peter’s words, set to the music we played,
the dilemma of orchestral performance in Malta was voiced. There was a general belief
that the Manoel Theatre Orchestra, founded with only a handful of local players a
generation before, should expand to meet the demands of both repertoire and audience.
But there were instruments required for whom there were no players and few specialized
teachers to instruct budding performers. How, then, would it be possible to build a full
symphonic orchestra with the limited numbers of local musicians?
Luminaries such as John Lowell, who was then Chair of the Manoel Theatre Board, Fr
Peter, Mro Camilleri and others, knew that for the Manoel Theatre Orchestra to develop,
musicians must be brought in from outside the island to supplement the ranks. They
chose to see beyond the premise that nationality was the primary pre-requisite for music
making. With their fortitude as the cornerstone, the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra grew
and flourished. Now, fifteen years or so later, foreign players sit amicably alongside
Maltese who have been with the orchestra for many years. Musicians learn and
assimilate different styles of playing from diverse European teaching traditions. Ideas are
shared and techniques perfected. Friendships have developed, mutual understanding and
respect form the core of the group and a sense of working together towards a common
musical goal is the norm. Due to this growth, the concert scene has expanded from a
dozen concerts a year to almost sixty performances. It now reaches from the very
youngest members of society to those who have supported the group from its early days
as the Commander in Chief’s ensemble. Bringing something to everyone and making
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music a vital part of life for every Maltese is the goal of the Orchestra. It is an honour to
be part of that experience.
With the example of the Malta Philharmonic in our minds, let us turn to other cultural
developments. Today we celebrate, in addition to our own personal achievements, the
foundation of the School of Performing Arts as part of the University of Malta. This
bringing together of different but inter-related artistic strands is another indication of the
sense of common purpose and unity which now permeates the artistic sector. No longer
do the drama, dance and music departments work in isolated cells. Instead, they have
combined to give greater opportunities for advancement and interaction to the students.
Building the scholars of today, who will in turn take their places as the leaders of coming
generations, is the guiding star of this energized institution.
The Malta Arts Council, in addition to its work through the year, produces an
internationally acclaimed Festival which is the toast of the summer season. Our northern
sister island delights music-lovers with some of the greatest operatic talents of this
generation in the annual Gozo opera productions. These foreign artists work alongside
upcoming, as well as established Maltese talent. Their experiences, guidance and
willingness to share their gift with others provide us with a unique learning opportunity.
Malta sees its flag emblazoned on the chest of Joseph Calleja as he sings at the BBC
Proms, or in the dulcet tones of Carmine Lauri’s violin when he leads the London
Symphony Orchestra. As an orchestral player, I hold one moment above all others.
“Casta Diva” from Bellini’s Norma is one of the most famous flute solos in all of bel
canto opera. The piece starts with the melody on flute and is then taken by the soprano.
To have performed this with another outstanding Maltese ambassador, Miriam Gauci,
was a humbling and exhilarating musical experience. I know what talent this tiny island
produces and to facilitate bringing it to those who love the arts is a singular privilege.
And so, it is no longer appropriate for us to complain that Malta is small, or without
resources. The greatest resources we have are those who sit here today. They are those
who share the concert stage with me, or who work tirelessly and without applause behind
the scenes that we may bask in the spotlight. They are those whose vision, determination
and sometimes sheer gall, have allowed Malta to turn its relative isolation as an island on
the periphery of Europe, into an asset. Isolation no longer needs to imply introversion.
Instead it can mean “individuality” or a unique sense of perspective.
To return to the quote by Nietzsche, Malta has been rewarded for its good will, patience,
fairmindedness, and gentleness with what is strange. By lifting the veil of artistic
seclusion and contemplating its full and rightful place in world culture, Malta now gazes
on Nietzsche’s “new and indescribable beauty” .
For Malta, that “new and indescribable beauty” is in recognising that culturally, as in so
many other aspects of life, embracing our position within Europe has served not to
detract from the unique sense of culture the island possesses, but to enhance the
possibilities of sharing it with the outside world. Many Maltese are, in their turn,
barranin, as they move away from Malta, bringing the best of this culture beyond its
limited geographical scope, to the wider world. Their efforts serve to enhance the
reputation of the artistic scene in this country, to promote and initiate partnerships and to
lead the way for their countrymen to expand even further opportunities for the future.
However much we are encouraged, stimulated and challenged by the possibilities that lie
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ahead, we must never forget that we are artists of the moment. Our work, commitment
and ambition, in every note we play, conduct or compose, must be to enhance the lives of
those around us. Working with the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra, or with any arts
organization carries with it a singular job description. When I am asked what the job of a
musician is, I often respond by saying “To bring joy to others”. More than joy, music
gives voice to that which we carry in the inner corners of our hearts; our fears, sorrows,
longings, desires. As Hans Christian Anderson succinctly noted, “Where words fail,
music speaks”.
And so, with this desire to speak without words, I conclude this address. This speech
started with the words of one more eloquent than I and so too it concludes. I leave you
with this final thought from the famous cellist Mstislav Rostropovich:
“The artist must forget the audience,
forget the critics, forget the technique,
forget everything but love for the music.
Then, the music speaks through the performance,
and the performer and the listener will walk together
with the soul of the composer, and with
God.”
Thank you.
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