“La Scatola Magica” with Dott. Anna Porcheddu, at the Italian Cultural Institute
“Il restauro dell’organo”
Following the success of the February event, this month’s Magic Box will also have a musical flavour. The topic is Organ Restoration and our guest is presenter Robert Buhagiar, whose name is very well known in the organ world as a renowned restorer of this beautiful musical instrument. Indeed many of the organs used during the recent Malta Organ Festival had been restored by him.
Robert Buhagiar initially studied at the University of Malta where he was awarded a degree in Electrical Engineering. He later studied organ building and restoration at the famous “Ditta Mascioni”, founded in 1829 by the craftsman Giacomo Mascioni in Comacchio, Varese, where he specialised in the restoration of Italian organs. He has been working in this field with great success since 1999 and is now a well established figure. Robert Buhagiar has restored more than 22 organs, among them the organ of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in Balluta, the 1774 Neapolitan organ of St. Paul’s Cathedral in Mdina and the 1885 organ in the Rotunda of Santa Maria Assunta in Mosta.
There is no doubt that organ restoration is a complex art that requires great precision and a lot of passion: Robert is currently working on an organ from 1800. It is the organ in the church dedicated to Our Lady of Victory, the first church built in Valletta by the Order of the Knights of St. John. It should be completed by the end of this year, just in time for the rich programme that has been prepared for Valletta as 2018 European capital of culture.
Our guest will guide us on a fascinating musical journey and answer all our questions over a glass of wine and some treats. Everybody is welcome and entrance is free.