Rockestra - MFCC, Ta' Qali, 11/09/2010

{Published in The Times of Malta, 15/09/2010 p.29}

The Philharmonic’s philanthropic performance

As the official Rockestra website makes clear, Rockestra is a “rock concert by the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra.” While this may seem a contradiction in terms, the marriage of rock music and orchestra is one that has become increasingly popular in modern musical performances. The orchestral arrangements give rock staples a new lease of life with elaborate twists and surprises, whilst preserving the raw live energy the originals offer.

After the great success of last year’s debut Rockestra concert, this year’s edition was rife with expectations of bigger and better, so much so that an additional thousand standing tickets were made available during the last week leading up to the concert due to popular demand. This must have been overwhelmingly good news not only to all the performers of the night, but also more importantly to the Malta Community Chest Fund who organised this special event in aid of people in need.

The concert commenced with the orchestra partially hidden from audience view by means of dim lighting and hanging draped sheets. Musical director Mro Sigmund Mifsud, covered in a druid-like cloak, walked unhurriedly out on stage to the introductory bars of O Fortuna. However, the sombre ambiance was quick to alter; with a flash of lights the hanging sheets were pulled down, and the orchestra launched into an electrifying mash-up arrangement of The Doors’ Roadhouse Blues with the Joseph Calleja Children’s Choir still singing the O Fortuna melody. It was a truly impressive start.

Mark Spiteri was the first guest vocalist of the night, and he proved to be a more than adept showman, easily getting the audience singing along to Beatles rockers Get Back and Come Together. The Viva Dance Aerial group from the UK made the first of three appearances during a version of Metallica’s Nothing Else Matters. The dance group’s aerial acrobatics combined with the angelic voices of the children’s choir added further poignancy to this heavy metal ballad.

The volume of the crowd singing went up a notch during two Maltese standards, Inti Djamant and Xemx. It was heart-warming to hear local music given the orchestral treatment, and the people audibly appreciated this gesture. This sprinkling of local music certainly helped make the night even more special and unique since these are songs that are endemic to Maltese communities. Furthermore it continues to prove that local music is loved dearly on our island and forms part of our cultural heritage.

The musicianship was world class throughout, and the vocals on display were all well above average. Performances worth particular mention are Neville Refalo’s exceptional vocals during Queen’s The Show Must Go On, soprano Claire Caruana’s stunning delivery during a lush orchestral pop arrangement of Nessun Dorma, and Airport Impressions’ frontman Errol Sammut’s rock-vocal master class on Led Zeppelin’s Kashmir.

Undeniably, one of the night’s most entertaining segments was the KISS tribute, which saw notorious KISS über-fan Gianni Zammit, Fire’s Kenneth Calleja, and Fakawi’s Paul Borg Bonaci - all clad in the band’s iconic costumes and makeup - sing two KISS classics. The energy and charisma of these three performers could have easily put a smile on the face of any old miserable Scrooge.

The concert’s setlist was unequivocally comprised of the best of karaoke classics; all crowd favourites, guaranteed to please. The usual suspects were all present; the Beatles were paid homage four times, Queen thrice, and U2 a further three times - their Pride (In the Name of Love) was played twice, albeit once as an instrumental which was later reprised with vocals. It would have been interesting, if anything, to see one or two curveballs thrown in. Not necessarily obscure gems for trainspotters, but choices that are leftfield enough as not to appear to be completely obvious inclusions.

It was impressive how well organized Rockestra was, even more so than most other recent music concerts. Apart from the top-notch talent, the stage set and visuals were very professional, the efficiency of the bar staff meant there was no excessive queuing for refreshments and even the on-site parking attendants handled the traffic flow smoothly. All the performers and crew deserve praise for an exceptionally enjoyable night, all in the name of a good cause. Given the further success of this year’s Rockestra, it would be safe to assume that we’ll see Mro Mifsud and his musicians same time next year.