Hagar Qim ushers in spring with ‘silent’ concert

The electronic music artist Mario Sammut (aka 'Cygna') will be performing a 90-minute set at the temple site, along with French musician Vincent Villuis (aka Aes Dana).

However, this will not be a typical live concert with loud music blaring from all sides, but a 'silent' show where visitors will be able to listen to the music by plugging into special headsets located across the area.

"It is important that our audience is directly exposed to the site; the sound is a part of their whole experience. First of all, they will be guided through the temple to a site where they get the best view of what is going on.

"Also, since there is only a limited capacity - only 250 people per night - the natural energy of the site and the soundscapes that we create are going to form a very unique event in this prehistoric site," Sammut said.

"Of course, there are regulations to which we abide, such as no smoking, drinking or eating on site and avoiding contact with the stone, plus there are extra safety measures when setting up and so on," Sammut added.

True to Sammut's aim to 'tap into' the site's historical baggage, the event will be taking place after the March equinox and on the onset of spring. Asked whether he believes the site already contains the raw materials which an artist can build on.

"The sound works that I make do not seek to replace what is all ready in there, only enhance it and give it new life. In this way the sounds that I craft resonate with the atmosphere of the site. It is my belief that with this electronic experience, alongside the site's inherent energy, we will inspire emotions personal to each individual," Sammut said, making a distinction between his electronic experiments and other forms of music.

"I will be presenting a sound work - it is not just music, and it is important to know the power of sound frequencies.

"Films use sound as cliché to build tension, supermarkets use sound to make customers feel comfortable and homely so they buy more, I use sound to reinforce an existing history."

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