Performers

Musicians

Sarah Spiteri       violin

Tatjana Chircop    violin

Joseph Mallia                viola

Simon Abdilla Joslin    cello

Tom Armitage              piano/harpsichord

Cliff Zammit Stevens   tenor

The Rock Troupers

Daryl Ebejer                  vocals

Patrick Camilleri            drums

Robert Galea                  bass

Sean Vukovic                 guitar

Marc Galea                     guitar

Josef “Fofi” Farrugia      keyboards

Programme Notes

Sara Gulgass’ research on Baroque Rock, the exciting phenomena of rock and baroque fusion which started in the mid 1960’s, gives us an insight into the genre.

‘Baroque instrumentation and style are not sounds one would expect from a genre whose raucous, incessant beats were once accused of degenerating the youth. This curious sound combination is known as baroque rock because it blended the neoclassic sound of string quartets, harpsichord ostinatos, and contrapuntal techniques with rock instrumentation.’

Some of the greatest musicians in the rock and roll scene were influenced by the Early Music revival. Rather than undertaking a ‘historically informed performance’ route, they opted for a more non-linear approach. Although harpsichord and arrangements for strings were used prior to the mid 60s, the music hardly ever focused on the ‘style’. What distinguishes the Rock Baroque fusion which started in 1965, was the imitation of the style of the baroque period through the use of counterpoint, fugue, ornamentation and ostinato bass lines. As a result we have been left a legacy of rock music that not only paraphrases direct quotations of baroque pieces but also uses the style of a specific piece as a foundation for a rock song. A good example is Pachelbel’s Canon in D which has been used far and wide as a basis for songs by Procol Harum, Aerosmith, Maroon 5 to mention but a few. A further development came about with Progressive Rock, which included impressive and highly virtuosic solos and multi movement song cycles, moving away from the 3 minute song to works lasting upwards of ten minutes. For this year’s edition we will be paying tribute to some of the greatest musicians and composers of our times including JS Bach, Jon Lord, Vivaldi, Keith Emerson and the Beatles amongst others.

Sarah Spiteri

Biographies

The Rock Troupers & ProMużika Ensemble 

The Rock Troupers is a Rock troupe made up of musicians coming from various bands who set up live events featuring Classic Rock hits. Starting off in 2014 the troupe produced events that involved a large number of musicians. The first event, Freddie For A Day took place in September 2014 and was produced in collaboration with Hard Rock Café Malta This was part of a worldwide initiative from the Mercury Phoenix trust to raise awareness about A.I.D.S. The event was an inevitable success and as a result it paved the way to The Afterdark Sessions, which featured a series of 5 concerts spread throughout 2015 also in collaboration with Hard Rock Cafe Malta.

The Rock Troupers also organised the successful Razzett Rocks event at Ir -Razzett L-Aħmar in early 2016 as well as collaborating with Hard Rock Café throughout 2016 with tribute gigs for Metallica. Iron Maiden, ACDC, Freddie for a Day and rounding things off with The Beatles & Beyond in December 2016. In the same year, the band wrapped up the night after the day-long  memorial gig (Ir-Rock it-Tajjeb) for DJ Lito which featured a record of 25 musicians, the biggest ensemble to date for any  Rock Troupers gig.

The Rock Troupers were also invited to perform as the sole supporting act for Rockestra 2016 in an hour-long set. The band featured regularly in the Farsons Beer Festival to great acclaim.The troupe also featured as the headlining act in the Gozo Rock Legends event for the past three editions and was the sole act in the first ever live Rockestra afterparty in 2022.

2022 also marked an historic moment for The Rock Troupers when they were invited to be part of a special night at the Teatru Manoel during the Valletta Baroque Festival. The troupe teamed up with five classical musicians and presented a programme which paid tribute to great Baroque composers and Rock legends all in one programme entitled BaRock.

The Rock Troupers’ line up is made up of Patrick Camilleri on drums, Josef “fofi” Farrugia on piano and keyboards, Robert Galea on bass, Marc Galea and Luke Grech on guitars, Daryl Ebejer on vocals.

For the third year running, The Rock Troupers will be joined by the ProMużika Ensemble. The ensemble, established in 2004, is made up of leading musicians who are established soloists and chamber musicians. ProMużika has held acclaimed performances in Malta’s theatres but also in historical venues, including Villa Bighi, Auberge de Castille, Palazzo Girgenti, Auberge d’Aragon amongst others, thus combining the promotion of music with Maltese cultural heritage.  Members of ProMużika represented Malta in the Europa Musicale Festival held in Germany, performed in Berlin at the Berliner Konzerthaus, in Leipzig at the Gewandhaus and in Wiesbaden at the Kurhaus, at Aino Ackté Concert House in Helsinki and at the Estates Theatre in Prague. Together, the Rock Troupers and ProMuzika will once again be fusing Baroque works with Rock elements and vice versa. We are also very pleased to have KorMalta again on board for this year’s edition.