(20 May 2016) The Italian Cultural Institute of Valletta celebrated Europe Day, in recent days, in its prestigious Baroque Hall with a musical event of great value and great significance for Italian-Maltese cultural relations. The guest of honour was President Emeritus of the Republic of Malta, Eddie Fenech Adami. The director of the ICI, Salvatore Schirmo, in presenting the concert “Antonino Reggio: a man of high intelligence and very deep into the music”, retraced the genesis of the European Union, inspired by the Spinelli and Rossi Manifesto of Ventotene, written in the midst of the Second World war. He also recalled the values of peace and unity in Europe that were sealed in the historic Schuman declaration of 1950, thanks to which a new form of cooperation for Europe was devised, which made rendered war between European nations unthinkable. Director Schirmo then gave the floor to Prof. Anthony Hart, praising the English musicologist for his intensive research on the talented Sicilian priest of the eighteenth century – he is member of the Italian Musicological Society and the International Musicological Society, who has studied the life and works of the Italian composer and harpsichordist Monsignor Antonino Reggio for 15 years. The vocals were performed by renowned soprano Gillian Zammit, the sonatas for harpsichord and accompaniment by Ramona Zammit Formosa, while those for cello and accompaniment by Simon Abdilla Joslin; all are first order musicians known in Malta and abroad. Before being rediscovered in 2000 in a library in Germany, the music of Antonino Reggio was forgotten for over two centuries. The musical works of Reggio include masses, oratorios, sacred music, secular tunes, harpsichord sonatas, two cello sonatas and sonatas for the lute and bass. Arias for solo soprano, harpsichord sonatas and cello sonatas are in the programme for this concert for the first time after 240 years. (Red)
