St DIZIER

Back in Malta after a very interesting and rewarding week in St Dizier, France, where I was invited as Composer-in-Residence during the week long (21st to 27th April) Academie Festival – Les Printemps de la Musique. No fewer than seven of my works featured in the daily concerts. The highlight of all these was of course the world premiere of my “Sighs and Whispers op 123 ” for Alto Flute and Harp. The piece was interpreted by well known French conductor/flutist Patrick Gallois, while on the harp there was also very well known harpist Fabrice Pierre. The young Parisian Quartet, DEIXIS  –  Florian Maviel, Emilie Sauzeau, Ivan Cerveau and Adrien Chosson – gave a very good interpretation of Segments No 2. I was very pleased to make the acquaintance of Juiliard graduants  Rachel Kobliakov (Violin) and Ren Martin Doike (Viola) who gave an exhilirating performance of the Duo Concertante op 91. Serbian violin virtuoso Dejan Bogdanovitch chose to include the Monologo in Tre Parti op 32  in his recital. This wasn’t his first interpretation of the Monologo. He had already played it in Poet LaVal (France) and in Venice (Italy), but the one at St Dizier was surely one of the best performances I heard him play. At the closing concert I had the honour not only to have another of my pieces included in the programme, my Lament for Strings op 103, but I was also invited to conduct the piece myself. This very full week of activities and concerts included also a  public Conference about my works which I delivered on Thursday.