Midday Melodies
A Lunchtime Concert of Lyric Beauty and Timeless Song
This May, audiences are invited to step out of the day’s rhythm and into a world of musical colour as bass Mark Bartolo presents a luminous lunchtime concert filled with elegance, warmth, and expressive storytelling. Barocco Fondation in collaboration with Din l-Art Helwa is organizing this last event of the series of lunchtime concerts for this season, on Tuesday 26 May at 12:30, at the historical rich and charming Our Lady of Victory Church in Valletta. Blending opera, musical theatre, and piano repertoire, this programme offers a rare chance to savour masterpieces across centuries in a single, uplifting midday experience.
The journey begins with the noble serenity of Mozart’s In diesen heil’gen Hallen from The Magic Flute, followed by the introspective richness of Beethoven’s Hat man nicht auch Gold beineben from Fidelio.
From there, the concert moves into the poetic world of Franz Schubert, with the beloved Ständchen and the shimmering Musical Moment No. 2 in A-flat major, offering moments of tenderness and lyrical grace, played by the talented pianist Natalia Rakhmatulina, who will also be accompanying Mark Bartolo in all the programme.
French Romanticism takes centre stage with Gabriel Fauré’s autumnal Automne and Ernest Chausson’s charming Sérénade Italienne, each painting vivid emotional landscapes through melody and colour.
Operatic depth returns with Puccini’s Vecchia Zimarra from La Bohème, a brief but profoundly touching aria that reveals the composer’s gift for human warmth. The piano then steps forward in Chopin’s haunting Nocturne in C-sharp minor, a work of introspection and quiet brilliance.
The programme continues with the star-lit elegance of Massenet’s Quand Apparaissent les Étoiles from “Don Quichotte”, followed by the heartfelt simplicity of Ernest Charles’ When I Have Sung My Songs to You.
American song brings a burst of character and charm with George Gershwin’s I Got Plenty o’ Nuttin’ from “Porgy and Bess”, before the mood turns reflective once more with Gerald Finzi’s Shakespeare-inspired Come Away, Come Away, Death and Samuel Barber’s luminous Sure On This Shining Night.
The concert closes with one of musical theatre’s most cherished melodies: Edelweiss from Rodgers & Hammerstein’s “The Sound of Music”, a gentle farewell that lingers long after the final note.
This lunchtime performance promises an hour of beauty, variety, and expressive artistry — a perfect cultural pause in the heart of the day and the city.
Midday Melodies will be held at Our Lady of Victory church, Valletta on Tuesday 26 May 2026 at 12:30pm. Entrance to the concert is at a suggested donation of €13. One can obtain the tickets prior to the concert from the venue itself or by email: baroccobookings@gmail.com/baroccomalta@gmail.com or phone