The 24th Macao Arts Festival (MAF), organised by the Cultural Affairs Bureau, began Friday, 3 May, and features thirty-four diverse programmes over the course of a month. The first week of the Festival includes, among others, the concert Italian Scent by the Macao Orchestra, under the baton of Maestro Arvo Volmer, Chief Conductor and Music Director of the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, to be held on 9 May, at 8pm, at the Macao Cultural Centre Grand Auditorium. The concert is a symphonic exploration of the beautiful Mediterranean country through the individual perspectives of a Russian, a German and, of course, an Italian composer. The programme features Tchaikovsky's celebrated Capriccio Italien, inspired by a long tour in Italy, during which the composer came to appreciate the country's folk music and street songs. Now hailed as one of the most satisfying small-scale orchestral works, this fantasy for orchestra evokes enchanting Italian landscapes, sounds from pastoral countryside and bustling city, as well as a festive carnival in full swing! Mendelssohn's Italian Symphony is also imbued with the colour and atmosphere of Italy, where the work was sketched, while Respighi's Le Fontane di Roma (The Fountains of Rome) and I Pini di Roma (The Pines of Rome) come from the Italian composer's Roman Trilogy of symphonic poems, his best known orchestral pieces. The 24th MAF would like to bring the public closer to what cinema was in the Silent Era, with a programme of four films reflecting the genius, intensity and glamour of the 1920s, screened at the Dom Pedro V Theatre from 10 to 12 May: (* please find the attached file) Les Triplettes de BelleVille, a contemporary Oscar-nominated animated film relying solely on image and music to tell a charming story, carries on the silent movie tradition. Silent-era filmmakers produced masterpieces that can seem breathtakingly modern. A remarkably short while after the birth of cinema, filmmakers had developed all the techniques that would establish the art form. Though the ability to marry sound to the film print eluded them, the creators never meant their films to be viewed in silence. The absence of recording on set, though, meant that the camera was free to move with a grace and elegance that allowed visual storytelling to flourish and made film more than just an adjunct to the stage. It is through these films that the world first came to love movies and learned how to appreciate them as art. They have influenced every generation of filmmakers and continue to inspire audiences nearly a century after they were made. The 1920's Rendez-vous - Cine-Concerts feature soundtracks by the Octuor de France and four local composers. They provide the silent films with musical accompaniment, played live and synchronized to the masterpieces. Tickets for the 24th Macao Arts Festival are still available in limited numbers at all Kong Seng Ticketing Network outlets. Telephone bookings may be made on 2855 5555. For more information please check the MAF website at: www.icm.gov.mo/fam.
