20th Malta Spring Festival Opening Concert

The opening concert of the 20th Malta Spring Festival features Philip Glass’s iconic Saxophone Quartet (1995), with four movements showcasing lyrical, rhythmic, intimate, and exuberant saxophone textures. Ignacy Zalewski’s mono no aware, commissioned for the festival, uses sparse motifs and delicate harmonics to evoke loss and fragile soundscapes. David Maslanka’s Recitation Book blends sacred chorales and Renaissance polyphony into a meditative, spiritually rich five-movement work. Malta’s leading Melika Saxophone Quartet, made up of the island’s top players, is renowned for dynamic performances across major festivals and venues.