— Joseph, young Maltese normally study music in Italy or in the UK. Choosing Russia is rather unusual. Is Russian education beneficial for you?

 — Definitely. First of all, I’ve learnt the Russian language which is an asset for me in all aspects of my life, not only professional and it helped me to widen my singing repertoire. In Russia I got exposed to a totally different artistic world. Being a student of the St. Petersburg State Conservatory, I met and became friends with many of the current top musicians. They had become my role models and I set benchmarks of my own growth as a professional artist getting to know them.

Joseph with his tutors and colleagues at the St. Petersburg Conservatory

— Who were your teachers?

— I was in the class of Sergey Rafailovich Ryazantsev, professor of St. Petersburg conservatory and opera singer (baritone). He was the pupil of the famous I. I. Pleshakov in the same Conservatory. In Russia it is traditional for professional musicians to be taught by  prominent artists. This is what keeps the Russian musical tradition alive, by being passed from generation to generation. As a student I was immersed in the long-lived artistic and teaching traditions of Russia, developed by artists like the world famous Chaliapin. That gave me a great perspective of what you are doing in your profession and what examples you are following. Opera came to Russia in the 18th century, a time when the Italian schools of Bologna and Naples were flourishing. At first there were mostly Italian language operas presented by Italian opera troupes coming from the Naples school. Only at the beginning of the 1770s were first attempts by composers of Russian origin to compose operas to Russian librettos were made. The 19th сentury was the golden age of Russian opera, having prominent composers such as Glinka, Mussorgsky, Tchaikovsky, and Rimsky-Korsakov. Their traditions were continued by giants like Stravinsky, Rachmaninov, Prokofiev and Shostakovich in the 20th century.

— Would it be correct to say that for Malta your musical background is quite unique?

— Yes, in a way.  It is unique, but for sure it is confirming with the real world professional standards.  As we already mentioned, the local musicians usually choose Italy or England. In Russia I was a student of one of the most prestigious musical institutions in the world where the long-live traditions are well preserved, respected and followed. The Rimsky-Korsakov conservatory is not one of those music institutions which are situated in some peripheral cities, but the conservatory in Russia’s cultural city – St Petersburg. Maybe for some it seemed strange that I chose Russia but this is, I think, simply because they didn’t know much about Russia and the well preserved traditions of the Belcanto era, represented today by the most prominent soprano, who was also a student of the Rimsky-Korsakov State Conservatory, Anna Netrebko.

— Now you are a successful performer and tutor in Malta. What do you teach your students?

— I teach voice and my wife Natalia, who is an award winning Russian solfege teacher (declared best solfege teacher in St Petersburg) and a graduate of the Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatory, teaches piano, musical theory and solfege. See, we have formed a very good team that gives prospective singers, and musicians a full span of disciplines.

We are now introducing solfege on a professional level that is new for Malta. This discipline, a keystone in musical education, has not been given the necessary importance. In Malta there is more emphasis on musical theory, however it is solfege which helps a prospective musician to develop a very good ear, read music properly, recognize intervals and empower musicians with good sight reading and composers with free flowing writing. Whoever wants to learn music above the amateurish level should take solfege seriously. Thankfully, this subject has finally started to be given more attention, and Natalia is now teaching solfege part-time at the University of Malta. 

— People like you are the ambassadors of changes. Are there any other new trends in musical education in Malta?

— First of all, there is a big difference in how music is being taught in Russia and in Malta, approaches and attitudes of both students and tutors. Since Malta, being a very small island, can offer only limited opportunities to professional musicians, we tend not to take music very seriously. An artist is not a doctor who will always find work in a hospital. Signing up for being a freelancer deters people. However, the situation is changing. People start to realise that if you can study hard and prove your talent, you can make a successful career in the artistic field. 

 At the same time, students in Malta still seem not to realise the necessity of the importance of taking music lessons seriously. Mindset is not something one can change overnight. Amateurism is still the order of the day in some fields, including music and you simply do not know better unless you go and study abroad and see that things could be much better and different. Hopefully this will change too. Malta is opening up to the world, more foreigners settle on the island and bring along their high standards of education and training.   

Poster of Joseph Lia & Daniil Zaretsky's concert titled "The Secrets of the Knights of St. John"

— You have also made your name in Malta by organizing the International Organ Festival. Was the idea born in St. Petersburg, too?

— Yes, actually it was. I was working a lot with organists in Russia, participating in concerts and recitals. I was performing in St. Petersburg, Moscow and other Russian cities. You know, Russia is predominantly Orthodox and even though Orthodox churches are not equipped with organs because it is not part of the Orthodox liturgy, each and every respectable concert hall has one. I was also promoting Maltese music too (as much as now me and my wife promote Russian music in Europe with our concerts) and played a number of pieces in the Maltese chapel in St. Petersburg. That was a very interesting experience.

So, as time went by, my colleagues who played organ started telling me: “Joe, there are so many beautiful churches in Malta with very good instruments. You should do something there.  We want to come and perform on your beautiful island”. And that’s where the idea to organize an international organ festival, a festival similar to those hosted in Russia and other European countries, was born.

I started searching for funding. It was not an easy path, I will tell you. I got my post-graduate in 2013 and organised the first festival in 2014.  

New Year bus in St. Petersburg

—  What about Russian language? Where do you use it here in Malta?

— The Russian language has become a big part of my life now. My wife is Russian, we met and married in St. Petersburg and now we have a half Russian child (well, full Russian, as he has a Russian citizenship too). When I speak Russian to Natalia or anybody else I feel like I am back to Russia, back to my student years.

Joseph with his wife Natalia and baby Daniel

— Is it difficult to steer the boat of intercultural marriage?

 — Not at all, love and patience are the secrets as in each and every marriage. It is important to understand each other’s cultural differences and accept them. What I like about Russians is that they are more romantic and, I think, more modest. For example, a Russian girl would expect her boyfriend to give her flowers for every occasion - a beautiful thing to do.

There is a big difference between what we think we know about Russia and what this country really is. On one hand, we follow the media which has its own agendas, and on the other, we can go out there and meet real people, who are kind and always ready to offer you loads of food and drinks. 

— Do you still keep your connection to Russia?

— Yes, I travel to Russia regularly. Last time we visited my wife’s parents was in February. We were also planning to go in May, to participate in the concert dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the Great Victory, but due to the current situation we had to cancel. After living so many years in St. Petersburg I consider Russia my second home. I also performed in different Russian cities like Moscow, Krasnoyarsk, Perm, Ekaterinburg, Barnaul, Arkhangelsk, Kaliningrad etc. With the new system of online applications, it should be even easier to obtain a visa to Russia.  In most cases it’s just a formality. It’s worth going there to see true Russia and experience the Russian way of life.